Tag: Kiryat Arba settlement - Page 3 - International Solidarity Movement

George Orwell meets Mel Brooks in detention of international activist

by Jack English

20 January 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

The ongoing repression of international activists took a turn for the ridiculous on Thursday night in Al Khalil, also known as Hebron. At approximately 7:30pm on January 19th, an activist approached a military checkpoint en route to his apartment, where two soldiers on duty, recognizing him as an activist and international observer in Al Khalil, demanded to search his person and bag. Upon finding two bags of bulk tea, which they insisted were drugs, and a fork-knife-spoon camping utensil, they called the police to make an arrest.

However, upon arrival at the scene, the officers confirmed the legality of possessing both tea and eating utensils. Yet upon further discussion with the soldiers, the activist was informed that he would still be detained and brought to the police station in the neighboring illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba for interrogations under the charge that the activist had “insulted a public servant.”

The specific alleged act was explained as, incredibly, “farting on a soldier.”

En route to the police station the accusing soldier sang songs demonstrating his excitement and belief that the international would be deported for this alleged flatulent offense. Of course, following a long wait and brief interrogation, the ludicrous charges were thrown out, and the activist was released.

While he was leaving, the soldier left him with the parting warning and threat “I will remember your face. I will be your worst nightmare”.

While the comic absurdity of this event calls into serious question the maturity of many of the heavily armed members of the Israeli occupation soldiers, and the professional integrity of the Israeli police officers who attempted to proceed with these charges, it is significantly less funny when viewed in the context of the occupation, and specifically the situation in Al Khalil, where 600 illegal settlers have taken over the city center, protected by 2,000 Israeli occupational soldiers, enforcing the ban of Palestinians from certain streets and the closure of 1,800 Palestinian shops in and around Shuhada Street.

This comes with the frequently raid of Palestinian homes, and subjection of Palestinians to humiliating searches, harassment, and detention while passing through the numerous military checkpoints in the city center. Meanwhile, illegal settlers are protected when they violently attack the remaining Palestinian residents of the area and attack their property, such as the burning of a Palestinian family’s car in the neighborhood of Tel Rumeideh last Saturday, while soldiers looked on.

Even the mere presence of the various international groups that serve to observe and document these abuses in Al Khalil is viewed with unveiled disgust by both settlers and the military. The settlers frequently respond to this presence by verbally, sexually, and physically attacking internationals while onlooking soldiers characteristically turn a blind eye.

The soldiers do their part with unwarranted, long, and frequent detentions of the internationals, recent attempted raids on both the apartments of the International Solidarity Movement and the Christian Peacemakers Team, and when possible, as is clearly illustrated by this most recent incident, arrests under even the most absurd pretenses.

It is important to note that while internationals at least have the “benefit” of being subject to Israeli civilian law enforcement and it’s civil constraints, Palestinians can be arrested by the soldiers themselves, face significantly longer detentions, are tried in Israeli Military Court, and finally, often face obscenely long prison sentences.

This is why it is so important to maintain an international presence here, and illustrates why this mere presence is viewed as such a threat. The work of both internationals and Palestinians of exposing the realities of this occupation to the international community is essential in fighting Zionism’s systematic erasure of Palestinian history, culture, and theft of their right to land and freedom.

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

“Like the Wild West:” Ex-prisoner lives with bounty on his head

by Alistair George

13 December 2011 | International Solidarity Movement West Bank

“I see my situation as a cowboy film, like the wild west” says Hani Jaber, showing ISM a poster, written in Arabic saying: ‘Wanted: if anyone has any information about the whereabouts of the killer Hani Jaber, please call us on this number and you will receive a reward.’

The number goes through to an answer machine where the message instructs callers to leave a phone number, promising to guarantee confidentiality and to pay good money. Other leaflets have been handed out showing pictures of Jaber and other recently released prisoners, offering rewards for information and leaflets for soldiers so that they can alert settlers if Hani passes through a checkpoint. Reports in the Israeli media suggest that the reward is $100,000 for information on Hani’s whereabouts.

After serving eighteen years of a life sentence, Hani was released from prison on 18 December 2011, as part of the prisoner exchange deal which saw 477 Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for the release of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured by Hamas in 2006.

In 1993, Hani, 18 years old at the time, took a kitchen knife and stabbed to death the settler Erez Shmuel, who Hani claims had attacked his nine year old sister as she came come from school. Hani’s rage had built as he and his family experienced frequent attacks by settlers over many years. Hani had his jaw broken during an attack by four settlers, on another occasion his leg was fractured. His cousin, Aziza Jaber, was shot and killed by a settler as she was in labour and on her way to hospital – she was 30 at the time.

Hani was sentenced to life imprisonment and was kept in isolation for a total of five years. He spent two years without seeing his family – the only person who could visit relatively regularly was his mother; his father only got permission around once a year to visit and he has a brother which he didn’t see for 18 years.

Despite his prison term, Hani looks strong and healthy, his beard neatly trimmed and hair carefully side-parted. He seems calm and relaxed as we talk in a quiet corner in a nondescript café in Hebron. However, Hani and his father, Rasami, are careful to sit with their backs to the wall where they can see the layout of the shop. Rasami has rarely left his son’s side since his release from prison. “It’s a very difficult time, I’m afraid to leave him in case something happens – I stay with him or his brother stays with him to protect him.”

“I take the situation seriously” says Hani – “I don’t give any opportunities to anybody. I believe that I won’t lose my happiness with my freedom but I should be afraid sometimes…I don’t have any weapons or anything to protect myself, I only feel safe when I am with my family”.

When he was released from prison, Hani was given clearance to travel anywhere in the West Bank. However, a few days after his release, the police gave him a verbal order that he had to remain in Hebron for his own safety and that he had to sign in with the DCO (District Coordinators Office) every two months. But Hani says that his confinement to Hebron makes him feel like he is living under huge pressure in a “big jail” and is more vulnerable from attacks.

He says that his primary fear is from Palestinian collaborators rather than from settlers or soldiers. He is also fearful for his family, who have been attacked by settlers many times since his release.

Hani Jaber lives in secret location in Hebron for his own safety, it is too dangerous for him to return to his family’s home in Wadi Al-Hussain, a valley situated on the edge of Hebron’s old city. Their house faces Kiryat Arba, an illegal Israeli settlement of around 7,000 people, a few hundred metres away on the opposite side of the valley.

The Jaber family’s house has always been a focus of attacks by settlers, due to its proximity to the settlement. However, the attacks have escalated since it was announced that Hani would be released from prison. The house was attacked on the day of his release and Ibtisam Jaber, 33, Hani’s sister-in-law, was beaten and suffered a miscarriage three days later.

“The settlers came and attacked the house. Ibtisam lost her baby, nobody else was here because we were celebrating [Hani’s release]” said Moutasem Jaber, 21 – Hani’s brother.

On 19 November 2011 thousands of Israeli settlers and Zionists crowded into Hebron for Shabbat Chaye Sarah – celebrating Abraham’s biblical purchase of land on the site of the Ibrahimi Mosque. The family experienced a surge in attacks; they were attacked around 10 times – at one point there was over 100 settlers outside the house. They threw stones, urinated in the family’s well, and chanted “We will kill you” outside the house. The soldiers responded by entering the house and forcing the family to stay in one room for seven hours.

According to Hani, the family’s shop has been attacked and the house has been attacked at least seven times since his release. The Jaber family have reported the attacks and the threats to kill Hani to the police but they don’t expect any action to be taken.

“The government does not do anything against the settlers,” said Hani. They also say that the Palestinian Authority is unable to offer any kind of protection to Hani and his family.

“My case is not the only one” says Hani – “Many people have the same pressure. There are much harassment to all Palestinians – even if you’re not resisting and no settlers have been arrested after they harassed my family. They have evidence against them but the Israeli government will not do anything.”

Now that he has been released, does Hani think he can ever have a normal life with the death threats hanging over him and a bounty on his head?

“I’m not a terrorist, I didn’t do anything wrong and I think that I deserve to live a normal life, to get an education, to get married and to live like normal people” he replied “but now after all this harassment from the settlers I’m afraid to get married because I will destroy someone else’s life.” Hani says that if he was to study or work it would be a huge risk to take at the present time.

Even considering the brutal attacks that his family has faced from settlers, does he not think in hindsight that his actions were wrong? Does he have any regrets?

“I believe that I haven’t done anything wrong, and I have the right to live a normal life, and I have the right to be a fighter if there is an occupation in Palestine. With all the attacks from settlers it makes people react and to fight and resist – this is the normal thing, it’s not normal to sit and do nothing.”

But does he still believe that this is the most effective way to resist?

“At that time I was 18 years old, it was impossible to take all this darkness from the Israelis except in this way. Even after 18 years in the prison I see that the settlements are larger, the occupation is stronger and everything is getting worse. I believe that I did the right thing at the time but now I want to live as a normal person. I believe that I have to stay in one place, and that is the only resistance I can do because I think the fighting time is over.”

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

Susiya continues to pave the road despite Israeli settlement activity

by Aida Gerard

4 December 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

One 17 year old boy from Yatta, Khalid Al Hurush, was arrested during a peaceful action in Susiya, and several people were beaten by the Occupation Forces on December 3rd, 2011. On Saturday at 10 AM, around 60 demonstrators gathered in Susiya to demonstrate against demolition orders. They proceeded towards a road process of being constructed in the area by the local villagers and decried a demolition order against a newly built school.

Demonstration in Susiya - For more images click here

The demonstrators walked to the new road in Susiya chanting in Arabic and in English against the land grab, expansion of the settlements, and the intensified demolitions in the South Hebron Hills.

When the demonstrators reached the road, they began to construct one of the parts of the dirt road that remains unfinished, due to daily harassment from soldiers against the workers on the road. After half an hour several military jeeps showed up. The Occupation Forces ordered that the demonstrators stop working. Protesters gathered around the Occupation Forces to protest their interference, chanting Palestinian liberation songs and waving Palestinian flag. Suddenly the Occupation Forces arrested a 17 year old boy, Khalid Al Hurush, who was waving a Palestinian flag. When the protesters attempted to stop the arrest of the young boy, the Occupation Forces began hitting and pushing pushing the boy into one of the jeeps.

Several protesters saw the Occupation Forces beat Khalid Al Hurush inside the jeep after being handcuffed. He was directly taken to Kiryat Arba where he was accused of interrupting police work and destroying a part of a military jeep during transportation. On December 4th the 17 year old was transferred to the Russian Compound, a prison, in Jerusalem.

A protester from the area commented on the arrest, “It seems that the young boy was arrested and was beaten up in the custody of the Occupation Forces in order to scare him and other protesters from demonstrating against Israeli Occupation.”

After the arrest the protesters continued to work on the part the road for several hours.

Susiya has been exposed to a wide range of demolitions since 1991, but due to the steadfastness of the Palestinians in the area, every time a demolition takes place, the citizens of the area rebuild a shelter for to protect the land from being colonized by illegal, Zionist settlers.

Aida Gerard is a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).

Hebron: Family members share their stories of settler abuse

by Alistair George

22 November 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

As thousands of Israeli settlers and Zionists crowded into Hebron on Friday night, November 19th, and Saturday for Shabbat Chaye Sarah – celebrating Abraham’s biblical purchase of land on the site of the Ibrahimi Mosque, some Palestinian neighbourhoods experienced a surge in settler attacks.

Wadi Al-Hussain, a valley situated on the edge of Hebron’s old city was the focus of attacks. The Jaber family lives far down the hill, near to the road reserved for settler traffic leading from Kiryat Arba, an illegal Israeli settlement home to around 7,000 people, to the Ibrahimi mosque in the old city. Their house faces the settlement a few hundred metres away on the opposite side of the valley. They have experienced many settler attacks but Saturday was a particularly harrowing day for the 17 Palestinians of several generations which live in the same large house.

Um Safaway Jaber, 28, described what happened to the family.

“We were attacked around 10 times – at one point there was more than 100 settlers outside. The soldiers put a curfew on us and didn’t allow us to leave the house but the settlers were free to use this road. We didn’t accept this curfew because the settlers were attacking us and we didn’t want stones to be thrown at the house. We shouted at the settlers, they shouted at us and said bad words against us. They said ‘we will kill you’, not just harassment – it was threats. We were lucky that a journalist was in the area filming, although the journalist was bitten by settler’s dog. The settlers attacked the journalist and the guys [Palestinians] went to defend the them.”

Um Safaway Jaber’s husband was arrested by the Israeli military.

His brother, Moutasem Jaber, 21, said “The soldiers forced their way into the house and arrested my brother because he was trying to protect the women and the family from the settlers. Then the settlers went to the police station to make a complaint against us that we were attacking them! After that they came back and had a demonstration outside the house. They brought video cameras to film the reaction of the Palestinian families and they tried to attack us. “All of us went inside and we didn’t go out because we didn’t want any more trouble but the soldiers came and they put the whole family in one room, they closed the door on us and they didn’t allow us to leave the room from 1pm to 8pm. After 8pm, the soldiers left the house – we went out and we didn’t see any settlers outside, just lots of soldiers.”

Moutasem’s mother, 63 year old Um Tariq Jaber, added that ” The family was following the Israeli decision not to open our shop or be in the street but the settlers still came and attacked us.”

Many families were targeted by settlers in Wadi Al-Hussain yesterday but the Jaber family was seemingly singled out for a heightened level of violence. A member of the family, Hani Jaber, was released by the Israeli authorities on 18 October 2011 as part of the prisoner exchange deal that saw 477 Palestinian prisoners released (with a further 550 to be released in a second phase thought to be in December) in exchange for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was captured by Hamas in 2006. Hani Jaber served 18 years of a life sentence after being found guilty of killing a settler from Kiryat Arba.

The Jaber’s house was also attacked on the day of his release and Ibtisam Jaber, 33, Montasem’s sister-in-law, was beaten and suffered a miscarriage three days later. “The settlers came and attacked the house. Ibtisam lost her baby, nobody else was here because we were celebrating,” said Moutasem.

“I told the police that they wanted to kill him,” said Moutasem – “all of this harassment was included in the complaint to the police but we don’t expect them to do anything. The police said that the case is ongoing so we’ll see. Hani grew up in this house and now he can’t come here because he’s afraid for his life.”

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

Hebron: Zionist paraders harass Palestinians, 7 internationals detained

by Alistair George and Ben Lorber

20 November 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

Over 1000 American and International Zionists joined 700 extremist settlers in Hebron this weekend to celebrate the reading of the Torah portion detailing Abraham’s biblical purchase of Hebron land, and to assert sovereignty over the Palestinian residents of Hebron.

On Friday, many Zionist visitors camped in tents on Israeli-controlled Shuhada Street. Inebriated from the Shabbat festivities, the visitors harassed local Palestinians throughout the night.

On Saturday, soldiers stationed themselves through the streets of Hebron’s Old City, forcing the shutdown of Palestinian shops, while swarms of visitors were treated to an extensive settler-guided tour championing the Jewish roots of Old Hebron. In what was advertised by the Hebron Committee as “the most unforgettable Jewish experience of a lifetime”, throngs of young, mostly American males clapped and chanted ‘Am Yisrael Chai’ (‘life to the people of Israel’) and other nationalistic chants, while Palestinian residents were forced to the sidelines of their own streets and kept there by soldiers. Throughout the day, 7 international activists and 2 Palestinians were arrested.

While a few visitors were respectful to Palestinian shop owners and residents, many were outright hostile. Mohammed Awawdeah owns a small shop in the old city, selling glass bottles filled with intricate colored sand patterns. Some of his bottles were smashed by a passing settler.

“He came and broke my stuff,” Awawdeah says. “I told the police but they are not here for us, they are here for the settlers…I am not even angry for my stuff, I’m angry at the soldiers who let them do this”.

Hamday Dwaik decided to close his bakery in the old city, since his shop was targeted by settlers during the event last year. “The settlers don’t want me to open. If I open they will throw my products on the ground, no one will buy it”.The Israeli police have taken the details of the incident and said that they intend to carry out an investigation.

Laila Slemiah, who works in Women In Hebron, a woman’s collective in the old city selling kiffiyehs and embroidery, was determined not to close her shop.

“I know I won’t have any business today,” she said, “but I have to stay open. I’m not scared of them.”

Clashes were also reported between visiting Americans and international activists. One activist relates that “as we were walking, a group of young American Jewish boys got into an argument with us. They became threatening towards us, and one of them had an M16 around his waist. They told us they would break our camera, they told the nearby Palestinian shop owner they would burn down his shop, they told me I would be dead on the floor.”

As this event is touted by the Zionist community as a Biblically-ordained ‘return to the homeland’, an organization called Project Hayei Sarah has been founded in the U.S. and Israel, offering alternative interpretations of Abraham’s Biblical relationship to Hebron that challenge the attempted Zionist appropriation of this legend to legitimize territorial conquest.

Seven international observers were detained by the Israeli police over the course of the day. At around 8 am, five international activists were detained after they were observing the checkpoint in Israeli controlled H2 area. They were held at Kiryat Arba police station for 8 hours and were threatened with charges of ‘interfering with police work’ unless they signed a statement agreeing not to be in the H2 area for a week. Two other international activists were detained at around 2:35pm today after attempting to film settlers passing through the old city; they were taken to Kiryat Arba and held there for around 2 hours. They were released without any further action being taken.

As darkness fell and the rain became harder, the tour ended. Large groups of settlers gathered in Palestinian areas of Tel Rumeida. A rowdy group of around 15 settlers chanted and attempted to intimidate Palestinians outside a shop in Tel Rumeida at around 5pm. The Israeli police were called and the group dispersed shortly afterwards.

Alistair George and Ben Lorber are volunteers with International Solidarity Movement. Ben Lorber also writes for the Alternative Information Center.