17th March 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | Kafr Qaddum, Occupied Palestine
Israeli forces on a rooftop in Kafr Qaddum. Photo: ISM/Yusuf Zidan
On Friday 17th of March the people of Kafr Qaddum gathered for another weekly demonstration which was repressed by Israeli forces, who shot teargas, stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets at demonstrators. Israeli forces were seen on at least one rooftop in Kafr Qaddum, as well as a nearby hill, which they used as vantage point to shoot at protesters.
Before the demonstration had started the Israeli forces were strategically stationed within the village of Kafr Qaddum, some even on the rooftop of a Palestinian home. Around 12:30, just a few minutes before the demonstration would have begun, teargas was fired. Some youth from the village began throwing stones at the Israeli forces in an attempt to drive them out. The clashes continued until around 14:30, when Israeli forces withdrew after having fired teargas, rubber-coated steel bullets and stun grenades at protesters.
Protestors throw back teargas canisters. Photo: ISM/Yusuf Zidan
Before the end of the demonstration rubber-coated steel bullets were shot at protesters causing light injuries to two pro-Palestinian Israeli activists. Both the rubber-coated metal bullets bounced before impact limiting the damage inflicted.
The people of Kafr Qaddum have been protesting actively for over five years against the closure of their main road to Nablus and the expansion of the illegal Israeli settlement of Kedumim. This road closure translates into a longer commute for the villagers when travelling to Nablus, as such it also has an important social and economical impact on Palestinian communities. These demonstrations continue despite encountering heavy repression with the Israeli forces regularly using live ammunition against the local activists.
Palestinian youth faces Israeli Army. Photo: ISM/Yusuf Zidan
3th of March, 2017 | Popular Resistance Committee of Kafr Qaddum | Occupied Palestine
Today, at the weekly Friday protest in Kafr Qaddoum, a large number of Israeli Forces raided the village and fired large amounts of live ammunition, rubber coated steel bullets, stun grenades and teargas at Palestinian protesters. One journalist, from Palestine TV, was shot in the head with a rubber coated steel bullet. A group of masked Israeli soldiers also took his telephone, and deleted all of his pictures and videos from the demonstration. The journalist is alive, but will be hospitalized over the night. Later a large number of masked Israeli Forces raided the village, trying to arrest Palestinians, and entering the house of a Palestinian family, scaring the crying children.
Palestinian protesters marching in Kafr Qaddoum, against the illegal closure of their road to Nablus
The protest started with a march at 12.30, after the Friday noon prayer in the local mosque of Kafr Qaddoum. A large group of Palestinians, journalists, and a few Israeli and international activists marched from the mosque towards the closed road that used to connect Kafr Qaddoum with the large city of Nablus.
After marching for around 30 meters, three Israeli Military jeeps and large numbers of Israeli forces arrived. They opened fire on the Palestinian protesters, who retreated back further into the village. Between 1 PM and 3 PM, Israeli forces continuously fired live ammunition, rubber coated steel bullets, stun grenades and teargas at the Palestinian protesters.
At several points, masked Israeli soldiers stormed the village, in an attempt to arrest the protesters. At one point, a large group of masked Israeli soldiers, entered the house of a Palestinian family, who were not participating in the demonstration. From outside the house, Palestinian children were heard screaming and crying, and Israeli soldiers were yelling intensely at the people inside the house.
Israeli Forces invading the Palestinian village Kfar Qaddoum
Israeli Forces invading the Palestinian village Kfar Qaddoum
Ahmad, a journalist from Palestine TV, was shot in the head by Israeli forces with a rubber coated steel bullet, and was bleeding heavily from his forehead. Israeli soldiers also took his private telephone, and deleted all of the pictures and videos he had made of Israeli soldiers firing live ammunition at Palestinian protesters. The journalist is now hospitalized, where he will stay under supervision over the night.
Palestinian journalist shot in the face by Israeli Forces with rubber coated steel bullets.
A local organizer of the protest described the situation as the feeling of “… a real war, with constant bullets being fired from 1 PM to 3 PM. Children crying and screaming. The situation was so terrifying.”
Israeli Forces fired a large amount of live ammunition and rubber coated steel bullets at civilian palestinian protesters
Prior to the protest, Israeli Forces had also set up a roadblock at the entrance to the village, pulling cars over and checking people’s IDs, as an act of collective punishment.
For five years the people of Kafr Qaddum have been holding weekly demonstrations, protesting the closure of their main road to Nablus and the expansion of the illegal Israeli settlement of Kedumim, which surrounds the village. In 2003, the road was sealed permanently by an Israeli roadblock, extending the fifteen minute commute to Nablus to about forty minutes. The roadblock has had severe economic consequences for the people of Kafr Qaddum, as many who once worked in nearby Nablus have had to seek alternatives. The United Nations estimates that movement restrictions imposed by the Israeli Occupation, such as the situation in Kafr Qaddum, cost Palestine about 185 million USD each year.
After more than five years of weekly demonstrations, Kafr Qaddum continues to resist.
13th January 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil Team | Kafr Qaddum, Occupied Palestine
The Friday demonstration against the illegal wall in Kafr Qaddum was attended by over 100 Palestinians along with numerous pro-Palestinian Israelis and other internationals.
Two days prior to the demonstration, the villagers were told if there was the usual demonstration on Friday, everyone would be arrested.
There were two surprises this Friday. A high ranking female member of the Palestinian authority (PA) attended the demonstration. Prior to the march she spoke to those gathered about the importance of continued activism and protests against the illegal colonial settlements and apartheid wall.
The second surprise was the Israeli occupation forces made no arrests and in fact only a handful of soldiers were seen about 500 metres from the demonstration. It is only speculation on the part of this writer but this may have been due to the PA official being present at the demonstration. There were no shots fired and no injuries reported.
At the Friday demonstration a week earlier in Kafr Qaddum, a 7-year old boy was kidnapped by Israeli forces and interrogated before being returned to his family a couple of hours later. The boy has said that soldiers threatened to kill his father if he did not cooperate.
Village leader addresses demonstration in Kafr Qaddum.Member of the Palestinian Authority addresses the demonstration in Kafr Qaddum.Children out in force at demonstration in Kafr Qaddum.Over 100 villagers protesting illegal apartheid wall in Kafr Qaddum.The Palestinian flag still continues to fly in Kafr Qaddum.Blocking the road to Israeli forces with burning tires.Illegal colonial settlements built on stolen land right next to village of Kafr Qaddum.7-year old kidnapped by Israeli forces in Kafr Qaddum at the previous week’s demonstration.
23th December 2016 | Popular Resistance Committee of Kafr Qaddum | occupied Palestine
Today, Friday December 23rd, 2016, the village started its march as usual toward the blocked road. Suddenly 12 soldiers from a special unit of the Israeli occupation force surprised them in an ambush, and attacked and arrested a 7 year old Palestinian child. Twelve heavily armed soldier’s surrounded the boy, attacking him. One of them forcefully grabbed the boy from his neck, questioning him about his father. Three Palestinians were also injured with rubber bullets.
Masked members of the Israeli security forces briefly detain a Palestinian boy during clashes following a demonstration against the expropriation of Palestinian land by Israel in the village of Kfar Qaddum, near Nablus, in the occupied West Bank on December 23, 2016. / AFP / JAAFAR ASHTIYEH
Kafr Qaddum’s weekly protests have been occurring since July 2011 to take back the road that connects their village to the city of Nablus, elongating Palestinians commute by 14 kilometers. These demonstrations are always met by the Israeli occupation forces and/or border police, who throw sound grenades, tear gas, rubber coated steel bullets, and at times live ammunition to prevent the nonviolent protesters from executing their democratic rights.
The young boy was released after one hour, and he told his father, “I was very afraid. I didn’t know what to do. I just began shouting between 12 huge soldiers, and one of them hanged me from my neck and asked me about my father”. The boy continues to experience post traumatic stress, shaking continuously, and sharing more and more of the experience to his family.
25th October 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
Last Friday I attended a demonstration in the small town of Kafr Qaddum, situated in the Northern region of the West Bank, just west of the city of Nablus. In 1974 Israel began to illegally erect settlements in the nearby Keddumin area. In 2003 Israeli forces set up roadblocks, denying the Palestinian residents of Kafr Qaddum access to much of their land and to the main route leading to Nablus. This road closure increased travelling time to Nablus, and the hospitals and other amenities located there, by more than 30 minutes for the Palestinian residents of Kafr Qaddum.
Understandably aggrieved by this act of forcible encroachment, Palestinian residents entered into negotiations with their now Israeli neighbours to seek to have the route reopened. However, despite the roadblock being declared illegal in 2010, and after years of unfulfilled guarantees on the part of the Israeli occupiers that the road would reopen, the Palestinian residents began to demonstrate in opposition of the closure in 2011. The Israelis’ overhanded retaliation to these demonstrations involves the use of skunk water, tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets, dogs and even live ammunition. Homes have also been destroyed with the use of skunk water, which leaves a stench so potent that houses are rendered uninhabitable.
Spent casings of stun grenades and tear gas fired at protesters during previous demonstrations at Kafr Qaddum.Partially ruptured rubber-coated steel bullet found in the dirt at Kafr Qaddum.
New to me was the knowledge that Palestinian farmers have to apply for permits to access large portions of their own land, which is now under Israeli control, in order to harvest their olives. This year however, as collective punishment for the weekly demonstrations, the Israeli authorities reduced the permit from 45 days to 7 days, time enough to harvest only a fraction of their land.
Present at the demonstration that day were Palestinian residents of all ages, journalists, and international and Israeli activists. After the noon prayer people began to gather and march down the road through which Palestinian movement is now prohibited. The mood was tense as only days beforehand settlers set alight a number of the olive trees belonging to Palestinian farmers, adding insult to injury as the list of injustices against these people grows even longer.
Demonstrators march in protest of road block which has been closed to Palestinians since 2003.The scorched remains of olive trees burned by settlers that week.
However, despite feeling intense anger at these recurring acts of settler aggression, the protesters remained reserved in their action and did not retaliate in kind. Tyres were set on fire, the primary purpose of which is to create a smoke screen in order to protect protesters from sniper fire. Large plumes of smoke rose from the flames and travelled in a windward direction over the settlement to make known to its residents their discontent. But at no point was the settlement approached or was a single act of aggression enacted by any of the protesters present. Indeed, I am told this is common of all the demonstrations carried out at Kafr Qaddum. Violence only erupts when the army comes out to face the protesters in large numbers, answering stones with rubber-coated steel bullets or worse. Only two weeks previous a journalist was struck in the head with a high-velocity tear gas canister shot from a distance of 400 meters, shattering the helmet that undoubtedly saved his life. Thankfully, on this occasion, the army did not leave their base and the demonstration passed without incident. Afterwards I walked down to see the large patch of land and olive trees scorched by the settlers that week. I was struck by an overwhelming sense of injustice that such despicable acts of hatred could go unanswered. I wondered if I would be capable of the level of reserve shown by the Palestinians residents of Kafr Qaddum if I had suffered as these people have over so many years.
Clouds of smoke bellow into the sky as a mark of indignation to the occupation under which the Palestinian residents of Kafr Qaddum suffer.
These are a non-violent people, who have had a history of violence put upon them by Israeli settlers and the army that supports them. And yet this is not the story told by the media at large, presenting them to the world as warmongering terrorists. I have seen first hand that the only terrorists in this situation are those wielding armoured cars and riffles, not those whose only defence of their homes and livelihoods are the rocks they find at their feet.
