Tag: Kafr Qaddum

Attacked and arrested: Kufr Qaddoum anticipates an even larger demonstration following Israeli violence last week

by Jonas

21 March 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

Last Friday two people were injured and two arrested when the repression of the Israeli army came down on the regular demonstration at Kufr Qaddoum. Attack dogs were used to frighten and incapacitate protesters, besides the usual tear gas, sound bombs and skunk water. But the village is anticipating that this week’s demonstration will be even larger.
Ahmed Ashtawi’s worst nightmare came true this Friday at the demonstration against the roadblock that cripples Kufr Qaddoum’s access to the rest of the West Bank. The 23 year old traffic police officer, who works his station in Qalqiliya, has a phobia for dogs.

“What happened to Ahmed could have happened to any man in this town,” said Ahmed’s cousin, Mahmoud. “We thank God that it wasn’t worse and hope that he will be with us again at the next demonstration.”

He was attacked by one of the two attack dogs released by the Israeli border police. It was during the beginning of the demonstration, just as the soldiers had pushed the demonstration back with a heavy bombardment of teargas. One of the dogs got hold of Ahmed’s leg and he fell to the ground. When his friend tried to reach him the soldiers fired more tear gas to keep them away. The dog was allowed to keep biting Ahmed for almost 15 minutes while other protestors and international activists tried to free him.

“I saw that his pants were torn and bloody” sais Riad Ashtawi, one of Ahmed’s relatives who tried to reach him while he was on the ground being bit by the dog. “One of the soldiers carried a rifle with live ammunition, aiming it at me, so I was forced to hide behind a tree. When I looked out I saw how a soldier was about to fire towards my head with a tear gas canister from a few meters distance, so I dove for cover again and the canister hit my leg. As I laid on the ground, unable to move I could still hear Ahmed screaming.”

As Ahmed was on the ground with the dog still biting into his hand, his uncle Morad Ashtawi, one of the leaders of the demonstration, was able to reach him. When the soldiers saw Morad they sprayed his face with pepper spray and put him in handcuffs. The official statement of the Israeli army has been that Morad was trying to hit one of the soldiers.

In the video of the event that has been circulated on the internet since Friday, however you can clearly see that Morad poses no threat to the soldiers and that his only aim is to free his nephew from the dog.
“The soldiers have been out for Morad since the beginning of the protests” said Abu Moushab of the city council, who anticipates this weeks demonstration to be bigger and more forceful than last week’s. According to him many people who have seen the video of Murad being arrested are angry and upset.
Ahmed’s cousin reflected on the question of expectations for next week. Smiling and with laughter in his eyes, he declared,  “We are afraid of the dogs, so this Friday we will not come to the demonstration,” bursting with laughter. His humor was refreshing despite the gloom cast by the violent Israeli military.The organizers of the protest expect people to turn up from all over the West Bank for this week’s demonstration in Kufr Qaddoum. The video on Youtube of Ahmed being bitten and Morad being arrested have been viewed over 70,000 times.

Locals worry that their village son has not received care following the attack and his arrest by the Occupation forces. “We still don’t know if he has received any care for the injuries he sustained,” said Abu Moushab. “We have been in contact with his lawyer but they are unable to get any information.  All we know is that he was given first aid on site.”

Once the teeth of the dog had been pryed off of Ahmed’s hand he was arrested, accused of throwing stones towards the soldiers.

“This is what they do,” said Abu Moushab. “They accuse people of throwing stones to have an excuse to lock them up for months.”

Now the small village waits for Friday to get to voice their rage against what has happened.”Everyone who has seen the video is very angry, and we will continue the protests with more strength” said Mahmoud.

Jonas is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).

When teargas and rubber bullets are not enough: Israeli soldiers release the hounds on unarmed Palestinian protesters

17 March 2012 | Ni’lin Village

The jaws of Zionism locked – Click here for more photos

 

In Kufur Qaddoum, clashes between Israeli Border Police officers who shot tear-gas projectiles and rubber-coated bullets and local youth who threw stones at the forces developed. Roughly 15 minutes later – in a scene that seemed as if it was taking place in the American South of the 1960s – Border Police officers decided to sic an army dog at a group of the demonstrators, standing several dozens of meters away. The dog chased after the protesters, biting and locking his jaws into the arm of one of them – Ahmad Shtawi.

For long minutes, the dog would not release its hold of the bleeding arm, even as its handler arrived at the scene and tried to order it to do so. The Border Police officers then arrested Shtawi, despite the fact he was in obvious need of medical attention. Morad Shtawi, a member of the village’s popular committee, tried to reason with the commanding officer into releasing young man. He was then pepper-sprayed and arrested as well.

Two other residents of the village were injured during the demonstration, after being hit by tear-gas projectiles shot directly at them. One was hit in the leg and another in the shoulder.

The weekly protest in Kufer Qaddoum, west of Nablus, was dedicated to the memory of Rachel Corrie – an American protester who was killed after an Israeli D9 bulldozer drove over her in Rafah exactly nine years ago, on March 16, 2003.

In Nabi Saleh, at least three protesters were injured during the demonstration, including an Israeli woman who was hit in the head by a rubber-coated bullet. The two others were hit lightly injured, one by a rubber-coated bullet and the other by a tear-gas projectile. The woman was evacuated to the Ramallah hospital.
Earlier today, large forces entered the village and sprayed a foul-smelling liquid known as the Skunk from a water cannon.
During the night, the army staged yet another raid on the village, the fifth in a week’s time.

In Ni’lin,, demonstration was held despite the rainy weather, the demonstration was dedicated to the American activist Tristan Anderson who was shot by high velocity tear gas projectile in his head by the Israeli soldiers in 13.03.2009 in the middle of Ni’lin village. also commemorating the anniversary to the killing of Rachel Corrie in gaza strip by an israeli military bulldozer.
Israeli soldiers fired massive tear gas canister at protester,rubber coated bullets and skunk water,one demonstrator was hit with a rubber bullet in his hand and was treated directly.

 


Kufr Qaddoum: 5 people injured in demonstration

by Veronica

17 February 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

In advance of last week’s regular demonstration in Kufr Qaddoum the Israeli military attempted to prevent it by turning off the electricity supply to the village from 4AM that morning. But it did not deter about 150 Palestinians from the village from marching up the road towards Qadumim. This week, the lights were on, and again the villagers were out in large numbers to make their peaceful protest, with international and Israeli solidarity activists marching alongside them.

Perseverance and resistance in Kufr Qaddoum - Click here for more images

The main focus of the protest is the opening of the road – a direct route that goes through the Qadumim settlement. Since this road was closed to villagers in 2003, they have had to drive or walk much further around the settlement. As well as taking more time and costing more, this road closure may also have caused fatalities – three people have died in ambulances denied permission to take the direct route to hospital in Nablus. There are other issues affecting the village too, including the theft of land by settlers.

Palestinian flags flew in the cold wind as the demonstration made its way through the village towards the line of Israeli soldiers. It was not long before the teargas started with the soldiers shooting it straight at the crowd at chest height. As people ran, several were injured due to being hit by tear gas canisters or from falls – not knowing whether to face the soldiers and watch for the tear gas being shot at them or to turn and run with their backs to it.

Thus began a running battle, with one side armed with tear gas, rubber coated steel bullets and sound bombs and the other merely with their voices and stones from the ground. At one point the soldiers retreated right back to the illegal settlement, and the demonstrators made their way far down the road towards them, burning tyres and flying Palestinian flags. But shouts from lookouts indicated the soldiers were back and there was a sudden rush back into the village as the tear gas started again. This time the Israeli soldiers came right into the village using all the tools at their disposal to disperse the crowd.

At least five people were hit with tear gas canisters or steel coated rubber bullets, including one Israeli solidarity activist.

Afterwards, Murad Shtewi, a member of the organizing committee in Kufr Qaddoum, explained how the whole village is behind this and will not be intimidated by the Israelis.

They have been demonstrating every Friday since July 2011. Since then Israeli forces have raided the village almost every day and night and 11 young men between the ages of 18 and 33 have been arrested – merely for demonstrating.

“But,” he says “we will not stop our demonstrations until we fulfill our goal of opening the road. And we will do more demonstrations if the Israelis try to steal more of our land, as they did last week.”

Veronica is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).

Kufr Qaddoum: Cut off road and electricity does not deter demonstrations

by Jonas Weber

10 February 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

Villagers and internationals assembled in Kufr Qaddoum after prayer time to demonstrate against the blocking of their main road to Nablus. The army cut off the electricity in the entire village as collective punishment  for the ongoing demonstrations in Kufr Qaddoum.

The villagers, including women  and many children, walked up to the top of the village, joined by internationals and press. They stopped about 100 meters from the occupation forces, where they held speeches and sang. The occupation forces started firing a huge amount of tear gas at the crowd as a couple of kids where throwing stones. Many people were affected by the tear gas, that was fired nearly constantly from then on.

Locals and supporters march in Kufr Qaddoum on February 10th, 2012

The occupation forces finally retreated into the illegal settlement, where they kept on taking pictures and filming the protesters. The crowd walked down closer, and gathered under an olive tree, to honour the memory of a man shot dead by a settler 20 years ago in that exact spot. The village was still without electricity as we left.

Jonas Weber is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).

In Photos: Settlers and Israeli military violently steal land in Kufr Qaddoum

6 February 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

On February 5 the residents of Kufr Qaddoum noticed several soldiers and illegal settlers on their lands who were plotting how to illegally seize land from the village. Upon arrival, International Solidarity Movement received word that indeed the colonizers were planning an action to seize land today.

Zionists attack to steal Palestinian land in Kufr Qaddoum - Click here for more images

Early this morning over 20 Israeli soldiers and Zionist settlers descended up on Kufr Qaddoum’s lands, arresting local villager Abu Ashraf, and dragging him off. Settlers were seen plowing through the land with bulldozers and military present.

In a collaboration between military and illegal settlers,  the main road that Kufr Qaddoum has been advocating to open through its weekly peaceful demonstrations has also been reportedly seized, while illegal, Zionist settlers are currently planting trees in the newly plowed land under the protection of the Israeli military.

Every Friday Kufr Qaddoum has held peaceful demonstrations to reopen their main road. On January 21 the village celebrated their success in peacefully pushing back Israeli Occupation Forces for the second week in a row as they tried to reclaim access to this road.

Kufr Qaddoum  is hedged in on most sides by Israeli Jewish settlements, illegal according to international law, the 1993 Oslo Accords, and in some cases even Israeli law.