Tag: Nabi Saleh - Page 2 - International Solidarity Movement

Italian activist arrested and beaten up in occupied Palestine

31st August | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil Team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Update 31-08-2015 20:00: Vittorio Feras court this morning again did not take any final decisions. It was ruled to release him on a 3000 shekel bill under the condition that he stay in Jerusalem and not leave the country until yet another court date on September 8. Even though the bail has already been paid at noon, Israeli forces kept delaying Vittorios release under different pretences. Only at 8 pm was he finally released from prison.

Italian activist Vittorio Fera was violently arrested and beaten by soldiers at weekly demonstration in Nabi Saleh in occupied Palestine. The Italian activist, 31-year old Vittorio Fera, is falsely accused of throwing stones and attacking soldiers. His case will be taken to court the second time Monday 31^st August between 9 and 11 am.

Vittorio Fera violently arrested. Photo credot> Haim Schwarczenberg

During a weekly demonstration in Nabi Saleh Israeli soldiers randomly arrested two protesters: one 18-year old Palestinian youth and the Italian activist Vittorio Fera. Fera went to the protest to document human rights violations by the Israeli army against Palestinians and became a victim of military violence himself.

While documenting an Israeli soldier strangling a 12-year old boy, Vittorio and the other activists were ambushed by Israeli forces. Vittorio was separated from the group and violently shoved to the ground. “We were shocked to see the boy being choked by a soldier, when suddenly soldiers came running at us and attacked Vittorio”, Josephine from Denmark explains.

Vittorio Fera with clear marks of military assult.

Journalists witnessed soldiers kicking and beating him during the arrest, even though he did not resist or fight back. Vittorio, and the Palestinian youth, were forced into a military jeep where they were detained for almost nine hours by the Israeli army, before they were finally taken to a police station. Despite various demands of Feras lawyer to have him brought to a police station immediately, both him and the Palestinian were illegally kept in the military jeep until shortly before midnight.

The military accuses Vittorio Fera of throwing stones and attacking the soldiers – an unfounded accusation. A first sentencing in court late Saturday night only resulted in the postponing of the sentencing until Monday morning. The hearing will take place in in Jerusalem Monday the 31^st August 2015 between 9 and 11 am.

See the video of the arrest here

Two people violently arrested at peaceful demonstration in Nabi Saleh

28th August | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil | Hebron, occupied Palestine

UPDATE: A court just ruled to keep Vittorio Fera in prison until an actuall decision is taken on Monday. He was violently thrown to the ground and arrested by Israeli soldiers in Nabi Saleh yesterday. He is being accused of throwing stones and attacking the soldiers at the demo – a baseless claim without any evidence. At the demonstration he was filming the vicious assault of Israeli forces on a Palestinian boy, that was attacked and choked by a soldier. Still, the Israeli court ruled to keep him in prison till Monday.
Watch a video taken of the soldiers attacking Vittorio and arresting him: https://youtu.be/KoYEMHi2xbM

On Friday the 28^th of August 2015, two peaceful demonstrators were violently arrested and a child viciously attacked by Israeli soldiers in the Palestinian village Nabi Saleh in occupied Palestine. Every Friday the people of Nabi Saleh protest against the illegal settlement build on the villages’ land.

Israili soldier threatning Palestinian women and children at non violent demonstration in Nabi Saleh. Photo credit: Karam — Israili soldier threatning Palestinian women and children at non violent demonstration in Nabi Saleh.
Photo credit: IssamRimawi

Today at around 3 pm one Palestinian male, Mahmoud Tamimi, and one international activist was arrested in the Palestinian village Nabi Saleh close to Ramallah. They were arrested during a Friday demonstration against the illegal settlements on the land belonging to the people of Nabi Saleh.

Only a few minutes after the protesters peacefully started their march towards the gate, which is regularly blocked by the military preventing any movement in- or outside of the village, the Israeli army began attacking the non-violent protesters with dozens of rounds of tear gas.

The soldiers then ambushed the demonstrators escaping the clouds of tear gas by surrounding them. They attacked and then arrested Mahmoud Tamimi, shoving him down the hill towards the illegal settlement, where he was forced to lie on the ground.

Israili soldier strangulationa Palestinian boy at non violent demonstration in Nabi Saleh. Photo credit: Karam — Israili soldier strangulating a Palestinian boy at non violent demonstration in Nabi Saleh.
Photo credit: Karam

Around the same time, a Palestinian boy was violently attacked by a soldier throwing him to the ground, choking and almost suffocating him in the process. “While the boy was screaming in pain his family came to rescue him from the soldiers’ vicious assault”, Josephine, a Danish activist explains.

Israili soldier attacking Palestininan boy at non violent demonstration in Nabi Saleh. Photo credit: Karam — Israili soldier attacking Palestininan boy at non violent demonstration in Nabi Saleh.
Photo credit: Karam

A group of peaceful international demonstrators trying to document the attack on the boy, was ambushed by another group of soldiers, who violently pushed a 31-year old Italian man to the ground and proceeded to arrested him.

Both the Palestinian and the international were being held captive in a military jeep by the Israeli army for almost nine hours, before being brought to a police station.

Israeli forces use live ammunition, tear gas, on residents of Nabi Saleh during clashes

17th July 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Nabi Saleh, Occupied Palestine

Of the two main entrances to the village of Nabi Saleh, one of them – which connects to the villages of Kufr Ayn, Karawa and the town of Salfit – has been permanently closed by the Israeli army since 2001.

Last week, on the main road that connects the village with Ramallah, there was a car accident that killed a four year old child. The villagers blame the accident on congestion caused by the closure of one of these two gates.

On Thursday, July 16th at approximately 5.00 am, young men from the village began trying to open this gate. Since the two gates are next to one another and permanently surveilled by an Israeli watch tower, this led immediately to clashes in which soldiers used tear gas and live ammunition. Within the next hour, four Israeli military vehicles entered the village and began firing rubber bullets, live ammunition, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at random.

nabiii — Israeli military vehicles obstructing road in Nabi Saleh.

Largely due to the fact that most inhabitants were still in their homes at this early hour, no one was injured by bullets. However, being unable to take precautions, elderly people and children were particularly affected by tear gas entering through windows.

nabii — Clouds of tear gas in Nabi Saleh.

Clashes lasted for three hours, finishing at 8.00 am. As of 7.00 pm, the village’s last remaining entrance to a main road (the one connecting to Ramallah) has been obstructed by a newly established checkpoint. This leaves the villagers with the only alternative of using a backroad entrance leading to a circuitous route which adds up to an hour and a half to journey times.

nabiiii — Young men in the village confronting the Israeli military.

This happened in the eve of the Islamic festival of Eid Al-Fitr, when visiting relatives in other villages and cities is of enormous importance; in addition to the obstruction of access to work, healthcare and education that will inevitably follow for the inhabitants of this small village in days to come.

97% of the land area of Nabi Saleh falls under direct Israeli military control (area C), of which 60% is in the hands of settlers. The village has suffered a long history of human rights violations by Israeli forces. 13 houses are scheduled for demolition, comprising 18% of the housing stock of the village.

Since 2009, when the village initiated regular protests, numerous villagers have been seriously injured or imprisoned. 22 people have been shot with live ammunition, 15 of whom now face chronic disability as a result. Two people have been killed. 190 people have been imprisoned, most of them from Nabi Saleh itself and the remainder from other surrounding villages who joined the Nabi Saleh protests. Of these prisoners, 40% are minors and 15 are women.

Local sources stress that the large number of disabilities caused by live fire incidents should be seen in the context of a new strategy, first seen in last year’s protests against the bombing of Gaza, whereby Israeli snipers appear to aim deliberately with low calibre .22 rounds with the intention to cripple. 90% of protestors shot with .22 rounds have reportedly been injured in the left leg. Often this results in the severing of a nerve, causing irreversible loss of movement in the foot.

One such victim is Neriman Al-Tamimi. A local volunteer for Israeli human rights organisation B’tSelem, Neriman was shot in January in the village’s main road while using a video camera to film soldiers. Despite an operation to fit two metal plates in her leg, she has been unable to walk without crutches since, and will require further surgery. Two months after sustaining the injury, Neriman was again confronted by soldiers as she filmed them firing rubber bullets and tear gas canisters close to her home in the village. The soldiers asked her whether she hadn’t learned her lesson and threatened to shoot her in the other leg.

Photo credit to Bilal Tamimi.

VIDEO: Children assaulted and 3 women arrested at Nabi Saleh demonstration

21st March 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | Nabi Saleh, Occupied Palestine

Israeli forces arrested three women in Nabi Saleh and injured several protesters, one with live ammunition, during the village’s weekly Friday protest on March 13.

The demonstration was met with the usual military violence as Israeli forces threw stun grenades and fired live ammunition at unarmed and peaceful protesters. After Friday prayers about forty Palestinian protesters together with international and Israeli activists marched down the main road towards the military tower and checkpoint at the entrance to the village, which Israeli forces had closed before the protest. Within less than five minutes the Israeli military fired the first of many rounds of tear gas canisters. The protesters continued regardless and were meet by a line of Israeli soldiers whose use of unnecessary physical violence and many stun grenades resulted in multiple injuries.

stun grenades protesters Nabi — Israeli forces threw stun grenades at nonviolent demonstrators gathered in the street

girl faces soldier Nabi — This young girl from Nabi Saleh faced an Israeli border policeman after being hit in the head in a confrontation with Israeli forces. Behind her illegal an illegal Israeli settlement occupied the hill beside Nabi Saleh.

Israeli forces threatened Nabi Saleh children, who walked down the road nearer to the closed gate. One young girl was hit with a rifle in the stomach and the head; she went to the hospital for treatment. Two Palestinian women – Bushra Tamimi and Shireen al-Araj – and Israeli activist Tali Shapiro were arrested and dragged away by Israeli forces.

kids face down soldiers Nabi — Girls from Nabi Saleh confronted heavily armed Israeli soldiers

Chasing Nabi kids — Israeli forces pursuing the children in Nabi Saleh

arrests in Nabi Saleh — Israeli forces arrested protesters after they sat down across the street

The violence escalated near the end of the protest; Israeli forces used live .22 caliber ammunition and shot a young Palestinian in the lower leg. The bullet missed the bone, and he will likely recover soon.

bloody leg live JPG — Israeli forces shot a young protester in Nabi Saleh in the leg with live ammunition.

The village of Nabi Saleh has been demonstrating against the theft of its natural spring by the occupation since 2009. Israeli authorities have violently suppressed the weekly Friday protests since their inception – in the last few months alone, several villagers have been shot in the leg with live ammunition. Since the actions began, two people have been killed in the village – Mustafa Tamimi and Rushdi Tamimi; many others have been seriously injured. Despite the Israeli forces’ severe repression, the people of Nabi Saleh continue to fight against the brutal military occupation.

Israeli forces released Tali Shapiro on the night of March 13, and Shireen al-Araj the following day. Bushra Tamimi was released on the evening of March 15 after paying 2000 NIS bail.

Live ammunition used at Nabi Saleh demonstration

16th January 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Nabi Saleh, Occupied Palestine

For five years now, residents of Nabi Saleh have been denied access to their spring. A source of irrigation for their crops, as well as a place for recreation: al-Qaws spring was the heart of this farming community.

The illegal settlement of Halamish was established on the land of Nabi Saleh, and the neighbouring village of Deir Nidham in 1977; since then, and particularly in recent years, the settlement has been growing, stealing more land, and finally denying the villagers access to their spring.

For five years, every Friday, residents of Nabi Saleh gather with local supporters, Israeli and international activists, to protest against the theft of their land and the denial of access to the spring. Sometimes, with bravery and determination alone, these villagers have managed to reach the spring, stealing a few precious moments before the arrests and reprisals reach their climax. Most of the time, the repression from the Israeli Occupation Forces is too great to get anywhere close.

Today in Nabi Saleh the villagers gathered at the petrol station on the edge of the village; undeterred by the rain, they were ready for the weekly demonstration. The weekly show of strength and determination to fight for what is rightfully theirs.

We walked down the road, men, women, and children chanting in Arabic and English, voicing our common determination to end this occupation. The Israeli military were waiting at the bottom of the road, blockading the access to the village. As soon as we were in range the tear gas started. A peaceful march met with poisonous tear gas from the very beginning. Many attempted to throw and kick the smoking toxic canisters away, but the sheer quantity meant we had to retreat quickly.

As the smoke cleared, we tried to walk forwards once more. But then the unmistakable crack of live ammunition. We ran back. Without provocation, live ammunition was aimed at a group of peaceful protestors. Fortunately this time the bullet didn’t find a body, but the Israeli Occupation Forces lack of respect for human life is truly frightening.

Two months ago four protestors were injured at this peaceful demonstration, adding to a long list of villagers who have been hurt or killed by Israeli military bullets whilst trying to fight for their rights. The army have been using live ammunition at this group of families and demonstrators more and more frequently during the last year. So the villagers’ weekly demonstration to struggle for their most basic rights – land and water – has been reduced to a short walk to become the target of bullets. Each week villagers risk their lives because they will never accept the theft of their land. Each week they are shot at because they want access to the spring which has been the source of life for their community for generations.