Tag: Nablus - Page 19 - International Solidarity Movement

UPDATED: House demolitions at Khirbet al-Taweel

30th April 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Khirbet al-Taweel, Occupied Palestine

Update 15th May:

On Monday the 12^th of May, at 7AM, approximately 350 Israeli soldiers, two buses, and several military jeeps arrived at the remote village of Khirbet al-Taweel and ordered the inhabitants of two houses to remove all furniture in order to proceed with their illegal demolition. Previously the IRC (International Red Crescent) had aided the village providing tents as temporary shelter. However, two tents were ultimately seized and one destroyed that morning. The owner of one of the houses apparently offered the soldiers tea saying, “You may take away my house, but you can’t take away my hospitality”.

Currently the villagers are planning to establish a temporary camp 200 meters away from the previous demolitions as under Israeli law this requires a new demolition order to be enacted. Some of the buildings are historical landmarks under Israeli Law; however any renovations (fixing the roof, adding a toilet) are photographed by the Israeli military in order to ‘justify’ their demolition.

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On Tuesday the 29^th of April, at 02:00AM, the Israeli army arrived at the small Bedouin village of Khirbet al-Taweel to demolish several structures claiming that they were built without permits. In total, three houses, several animal shelters and the village’s mosque were destroyed.

Khirbet al-Taweel has an approximate population of 180 inhabitants. 30 of them are now without homes because of the demolitions, 17 of which are children; the youngest child is only one-year old.

Three families were forced out of their homes at gunpoint at 02.00AM. They had no time to collect their belongings and were only able to take the most necessary items before the demolitions started. The Israeli army took two hours to carry out the demolitions, until 04:00AM, destroying three houses and the village mosque, which was built in 2008.

The three families also lost their water tanks to the demolitions carried out by the Israeli army. In order to get drinking water, they now have to walk 30 minutes uphill to get to the nearest town (Aqraba), and then back.

During the day, the Red Crescent provided the families with some tents. However according to one of the women who were evicted, the Israeli army told them that they were not allowed to stay in the area and had to leave immediately.

The woman stated that: “We have nowhere to go. This is our land, our homes. Where should we go?”

During the past five years, Khirbet al-Taweel has had many demolitions. According to several local villagers, this is a strategy from the Israeli authorities to force local populations to move, and thus expand the illegal farming settlements, located on the other side of the mountain from Khirbet al-Taweel.

One man shot and arrested by Israeli Border Police in Huwwara village

10th April 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Huwwara, Occupied Palestine

On Sunday 6^th of April, a 35-year-old Palestinian man was shot with live ammunition and then arrested by an Israeli Border Police Officer. This was after the man had thrown a Molotov cocktail against a passing military jeep on the main street of Huwwara, causing no injuries.

On Sunday evening, Ashraf Abu al-Huda, 35 years old, was shot by several live ammunition bullets by the Israeli Border Police in the village of Huwwara, south of Nablus. The police arrived from the Yitzhar checkpoint after the man had thrown a Molotov against a Israeli army’s jeep that was passing by the main street. At the moment, there is no information available about Ashraf’s injuries or current state of health.

The street and a nearby market were closed after the arrest for “security reasons”. However according to local villagers, this occurs between two and three times a week with no explanations provided.

The village of Huwwara is just two kilometers away from the illegal settlement of Yizhar, which occupies a hilltop overlooking Palestinian land. Although the rest of the hill is located in Area B, the settlers from Yizhar have cut many olive trees from the nearby land.

Villagers from Huwarra reported that two weeks ago, two young men were seriously injured after a vicious attack from several settlers from Yizhar. One of the two men, Foad, had both of his legs broken and was transferred to Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem. Israeli forces witnessed this attack and made no attempt at intervention. Reports from the hospital have described Foad’s injuries as so severe that he may never be able to walk on his own again. The second man, Ahmed, received a large head wound and a painful cut on his ear.

The illegal settlement of Yizhar regularly harasses the people of Huwwara, and the nearby village of Burin, with settlers often throwing stones and wastewater as a form of intimidation and aggression.

Palestinian judge assassinated by Israeli soldiers at Allenby bridge border

13th March 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Nablus, Occupied Palestine

On Monday March 10, Raed Zeiter, a 38 years-old judge originally from Nablus, was assassinated by the Israeli forces at the Allenby Bridge Border.

The man, who has been working in Amman since 2011, was going out of the bus to pass the border to Palestine at around 8am when the border authority ordered him to go in the “humiliation sas” for “security reason”. Excessive force was used against Raed Zeiter to bring him to this interrogation room, what would have brought him to push back the soldier. The Israeli forces immediately shot three bullets at Zeiter’s chest and didn’t let anybody get to the injured man for at least twenty minutes. Raed Zeiter died before the ambulance could arrive, one hour later.

Zeiter was buried the day after in Nablus, leaving behind a wife and two young children, one of whom is in a coma in hospital.

This murder occurred in a dramatic bleeding time. Indeed, in the same day, three others Palestinians, Ismail Abu Judah, 23, Shahir Abu Shanab, 24, and 33-year-old Abd al-Shafi Muammar suffered the same fate in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike. Fidaa Muhye Addin Majadlah and Ibrahim Adnan Shukri died in Tulkarem area after a car chase by Israeli police. And Saji Darwish for his part, was also shot by Israeli soldiers nearby Ramallah. He was 18 years.

Roadblocks impede Palestinians freedom of movement

7th March 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Team Nablus | Occupied Palestine

The video below shows the presence of Israeli flying checkpoints and roadblocks that impede Palestinian movement.

The trip from Ramallah to Nablus can take as long as 2 hours. Roadblocks and flying checkpoints along the road slow traffic for Palestinian travelers. The soldiers claim there was a bomb, but after some cigarettes and laughing they decide to open the road.

Settlers attack stopped by farmers in Talfeet

6 March 2014| International Solidarity Movement, Team Nablus| Talfeet, Occupied Palestine

Farmers caught a settler cutting down olive trees in Talfeet, delivered him to the Israeli police and lodge a complaint toward him.

This morning, at around 10:30, three farmers working on their land in Talfeet caught a settler cutting down ” title=”olive trees”>olive trees in the area. Quickly joined by other villagers, they were able to capture him. They then kept him on the spot, waiting for the Israeli police.

At 12:00, the police arrived the place with the army. After the explanations of those involved, they finally left with the settler under arrest.

Indeed, this settler, known as “Kurein” by the locals, is sadly notorious in the area surrounding the illegal settlement of Eli for different attacks and attempts to damage state properties.

Later in the afternoon, the farmers met again the Israeli police, going with soldiers and members of the DCO, to notice the damages and lodge a complaint toward Kurein. The Israeli mandated for this task clearly said to the villagers that the two “troublemakers” (ISM observers) were unwelcome and that they had to stay away from the area. Following the incident, when the two volunteers came back to the scene to take pictures, all the broken branches had been removed from the place.

Furthermore, last month, settlers from Eli tried on several occasions to attack the Palestinian houses during the night, waking up the inhabitants and placing pressure on the families. After many complains from the villagers to the mayor, a dialogue has been set up between the Israeli authorities and the Palestinian representative of Nablus area to try to prevent the aggressiveness of the settlers. This attack threatens the quietness of the last days in the village of Talfeet.