13 August 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
On Friday the 12th of August, the weekly demonstration called by the local Popular Committee in Kufr Qaddum was held. Despite the blazing heat and that most of the participants are fasting for Ramadan, an impressive contingent of around two hundred began the march towards the illegal Israeli settlement of Qadumim. Sitting at the head of a spit of land, protruding, in violation of international law, past the green line by seventeen kilometres into the West Bank, the settlement has brought with it the land confiscations, restrictions on movements, and arbitrary harassment that typifies Zionist incursion into Palestine.
Before passing the last house in the village, the noisy and spirited mass was confronted by two groups of Israeli soldiers; one blocking the road to Qadumim along with Border Police, and the other on higher ground to the left, on a ridge above an olive grove. Those on the left are recognised by some of the demonstrators as being armed with rubber coated steel bullets. After a standoff in which the crowd voiced their anger at the forces of the occupation and reasserted their rights to freedom and self determination in the face of carefully planned ethnic cleansing, the military opened fire with volleys of tear gas.
Some young Palestinian men answered each volley with stones and defiance as the amount of gas fired steadily increased. Over the course of an hour or so, the back and forth continued, ending with an unknown number of mostly older people treated by the Red Crescent, converting the Mosque into a makeshift field hospital although no one was seriously hurt. At one point several soldiers managed to out flank the front of the demonstration, throwing sound bombs directly into groups of people. Towards the end, the Israeli military deliberately fired high velocity tear gas rounds into dry scrubland, setting alight a large olive grove, owned by Kufr Qaddum.
1 August 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
On Friday July 29, 2011 the Popular Committee of Kufr Qaddoum included musical guests from the Netherlands, Fanfare, to play for Kufr Qaddoum’s weekly demonstration against a roadblock that closes off the main road to the village. The demonstration began around 1:30pm after Friday morning prayer. Dressed in an array of bright colors the band greeted young and old men exiting the mosque. As everyone gathered, they began playing, which created a positive energy throughout the gathering demonstrators. The excitement grew as the protesters began marching down the road. The band started playing “Wayn `A Ramallah,” causing everyone to sign along.
As everyone marched members of the Popular Committee tried to keep the band in front while the young men followed behind them. Earlier that morning they had decided that it would be safest for the band to be in front in case the soldiers fired tear gas. This was mostly successful, but at one point approximately 20-30 Palestinian demonstrators had gathered in front of the band. When marchers reached the final point, the band stood towards the front with Palestinian demonstrators dispersed among them filming and taking pictures.
Fanfare continued to play when everyone arrived at the barbed wire fence. Twenty soldiers gathered with several tear-gas guns and a Jeep stood behind them with a raised Israeli flag. After about seven minutes of music, a couple of Palestinians took hold of the loudspeaker to express their demands. Several soldiers stood behind the press that had gathered. Unlike the demonstration on July 22nd, the demonstrators stood about 200 meters away from the soldiers. Earlier Popular Committee had decided that it was best to keep a distance. But when a handful of Palestinians marched about 50 meters forward towards the soldiers, the Israeli military began firing tear gas into the crowd. As everyone started to run many more tear gas canisters were fired towards the back. Many people ran off the road and down the hill to avoid the gas, but the soldiers fired tear gas in their direction as well.
Approximately thirty five people were treated taken to the hospital to be treated for inhaling tear gas. One American activist was hit in the shoulder by a tear gas canister. An older Palestinian man was treated for head and face injuries by Red Crescent volunteers in the village. He was bleeding from his head and the bridge of his nose, but the specific cause of his injuries are unknown.
The illegal settlement of Qadumim occupies Palestinian land next to Kufr Qaddoum. Over the past month, the people of Kufr Qaddoum have organized weekly demonstrations against the barrier that blocks the main road to their village. Every week the Kufr Qaddoum Popular Committee provides the Israeli occupiers papers issued by the Israeli court to lift the barrier that closes off the main road to their village.
3 July 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
A line of military jeep squads confronts activists in Kufr Qaddoum
The popular committee, or local council, of Kufr Qaddoum requested the attendance of ISM volunteers at their first demonstration in the village after more than six years of protracted legal arguments before the notoriously one-sided Israeli High Court. The attempts to gain justice through legal recourse were motivated by a unilateral Israeli decision in 2003 to block the main arterial road linking Kufr Qaddoum with Nablus.
A number of ISM representatives had visited the village in the days running up to the planned protest, to discuss with the popular committee the specific problems they were having with the Israeli occupying forces and the possible ways in which the ISM could be of use.
Abdul Ra’ouf Hamsa, a representative of the local council, and his assistant, Saqer Obwed, had explained to the ISM forward party that the main problem confronting the village was the loss of this key road – which up until 2003 had been the principle means of access to Kufr Qaddoum from Nablus – a journey of only 15 minutes now closer to forty.
The road was initially obstructed (without explanation) by members of a local illegal Israeli settlement at Qadumim, but responsibility for the occupation of the road quickly became a matter requiring the repressive potential of the Israeli armed forces, together with the notoriously brutal border police force.
For the past eight years the villagers have been utilizing other routes to travel to and from Nablus. As a result, their expenses have increased markedly and their lives have become significantly more difficult. As is usually in the case of incidents of this kind, it is the most vulnerable who suffer first and most. The cost of transportation has increased for students studying daily in Nablus, and the chances of serious injury or death have also increased with a long and circumspect route to Nablus hospital. Two Palestinians have died in recent years after failing to reach the hospital in time.
Hamsa explained to the prelimanary ISM delegation that they used to organize demonstrations against the blockade of the road more than six years previously, but were forced to stop when they decided to take the issue to the Israeli High Court.
Just 8 months ago after awaiting the court decision for many years, the popular committee of Kufr Qaddoum received a rare ruling in their favor , allowing them legal access to this vital stretch of road. Despite the court’s decision in their favor, the court simultaneously ruled that the villagers could not use the road until 2012 after claims of the road not being “suitable” or “safe” were made by the Israeli’s.
Thus the establishment of a weekly non-violent demonstration was agreed upon and international observers and participants from the ISM were requested. With Israel demonstrating a complete lack of will in granting the villagers their rights, it was decided by the popular committee that peaceful demonstrations were the only viable option left to them.
A series of cars and pickup trucks worked in tandem to help transport international peace activists past the Israeli checkpoint denying entry to the village. The villagers and international activists gathered in the village and began their march down the road towards Nablus and the awaiting Israeli border police and military forces.
Upon arriving at the Israeli checkpoint, and after initial attempts to negotiate access to the road, peaceful demonstrators were confronted by shield-wielding border police used to confront and repress the front row of the crowd, now halted by Israeli occupying forces. After the arrival of the border police, the peaceful demonstration was swiftly dispersed with stun grenades and tear gas.
Large swathes of the surrounding land belonging to the villagers was soon engulfed in flames as the callous use of flash-bangs ignited the grass and trees, dry in the summer time. A number of Palestinians veinly attempted to put out the spreading fires with branchs and their feet. To no effect. A number of bee hives owned by the villagers were destroyed whilst most were rescued by the frantic attempts of local people.
A number of Palestinians were transported away by ambulance after suffering the effects of tear gas inhalation, including a number of elderly men and young boys. After half an hour or so of further negotiation from the village elders, both Israeli occupying forces and the Palestinian demonstrators withdrew back down the road in opposite directions.
Kufr Qaddoum is located to the north of Nablus, with a population of approx 3,500 inhabitants. More than half of the village’s land – about 11,800 dunams (one dunam equals 1000sq meters) – is situated in area C; which means that the Palestinians must be given permission to work there from the Israeli District Coordinating Office. The villagers from Kafr Qaddum have often complained about harassment and violence from the nearby illegal settlement of Qadumim, built in 1976.
On Tuesday June 28, ISM visited the village of Kufr Qaddoum in northern Nablus following a call for action after 6 years of no active demonstrations.
Abdul Ra’ouf Hamsa, representative of the local council, and his assistant, Saqer Obwed, explained to ISM the main problem faced by the villagers. Since 2003 the closest way to access Nablus is a road that was closed first by the settlers and then by the army without any reason or warning. For the past eight years, the villagers have been taking another road to go to Nablus. A ride that used to take ten minutes now takes more than half an hour. Their expenses have increased. The blockade made their lives harder. The cost of transportation increased a lot for the villagers, specially for those who study daily in Nablus.
Hamsa explained that they used to organize demonstrations against the blockade of the road six years ago and then decided to take the issue to the Israeli Court.
After awaiting a court decision for years, eight months ago the villagers received a positive response that allowed them to use the road again, but the Israeli Court claimed that the road is not “suitable” or safe for transportation. With Israel demonstrating a lack of action on their part for the past eight months, the villagers have decided it’s time to start the demonstrations again.
Kufr Qaddoum is located in northern Nablus, with a population of about 3,500 inhabitants. More than half of the village’s land, approximately 11,800 dunams, is situated in area C which means that the Palestinians need permission to work there from the Israeli District Coordinating Office. Villagers often complain about s harassment from from the nearby illegal settlement of Qadumim, built in 1976.
