13th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement | Nablus and Tulkarem, Occupied Palestine
By Team Nablus
Today, at around 8am, over thirty people from the Palestinian General Union of People with Disability marched through the city of Nablus to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Nakba.
Participants gather in Nablus before the march (Photo by ISM)People marching along al-Quds Street in Nablus (Photo by ISM)
After the march, a bus drove participants to Tulkarem where they were joined by approximately 40 more demonstrators. Together they continued the march through the city of Tulkarem. They sang and chanted slogans remembering the 1948 massacre and reclaiming the right of return.
Palestinian Scout’s band leading the demonstration (Photo by ISM)
Participant with sign symbolizing the Palestinians’ right of return (Photo by ISM)
Two young demonstrators participating in the march (Photo by ISM)
The marched finished at the Israeli Chemical factory on the outskirts of the city. Demonstrators hung Palestinian flags and flags calling for the right of return from the wall.
Protesters hang Palestinian flags on the wall of the illegal Israeli chemical factory (Photo by ISM)
12th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement | Nablus, Occupied Palestine
By Team Nablus
On Tuesday 7th May, at 2am, Ahmad as-Sars was arrested whilst in his home with family and well wishers gathered to mourn the death of his grandmother the previous day. New Askar refugee camp faces many problems in its right to exist, economy and the support it receives. Despite their daily struggles, hope for the future remains strong in the next generation, of which the independently run Keffiyeh Community Center, located in the camp, is an impressive example.
Mahmoud Sars with his son Ahmad’s picture
New Askar camp is situated north-east of Nablus in the Askar area. It was created in 1965 to accommodate the increased number of refugees who were living in (old) Askar Camp that was established in 1950 after hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced from their homes in the Nakba, the ethnic cleansing of 1948 that was part of the creation of Israel.
Ahmad as-Sars, 23 years-old, was arrested during the early morning. His grieving father pleaded with the soldiers not to take him until the next day. He was told, however, by the soldiers that they were ‘just’ taking him to Huwwara military base and would return him at 4am. During the arrest they searched the house, bringing dogs into the home and took all the mobile phones. They herded 40 family members into one room, the large number due to the death in the family.
Currently Ahmad is still in prison and the family have no news of his whereabouts. Ahmad was previously arrested at the age of 16, when he had just received his ID. His father commented that this signified the Israeli occupation forces seeing him as a ‘young person and man, although he was a child. Just because he received ID, they considered him a threat’.
Ahmad was imprisoned for 5 years, during his late teens until his early twenties. His education whilst incarcerated was partially restricted, although he was granted equivalent high school education and exams. Ahmad’s physical and mental health deteriorated in prison, where he became anxious and felt ill in his stomach; he did not get better until he was released.
Ahmad works in the family hardware shop and is the youngest brother of 6, all of whom, except one, have been in prison. One of Ahmad’s brothers has been in prison for ten years.
Two residents walk down a street in New Askar
Arrests and incursions by Israeli troops are common in New Askar camp and they have suffered much in the ongoing occupation. New Askar is not officially recognised as a refugee camp by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) and as such there are no UNWRA installations in the camp. Although, in 2008, an UNWRA school was opened in the camp, but the 6000 residents are still expected to use the services in the old Askar Camp. An internationally funded sports centre was converted into a medical clinic to support the population, but the camp struggles to provide all the necessary services due to its unofficial status and by its position in Area B that is supposed to be under joint Israeli and Palestinian Authority control.
Children participate in a dabkah class in the Keffiyeh Communtiy Centre
One community organiser in New Askar told international activists that the camp has many problems and that the youth have nothing to do, ‘no entertainment’. Very high unemployment is a factor in the camp, which combined with the lack of entertainment, leaves the youth of the camp disillusioned and without hope. The Keffiyeh Communtiy Center was set up independently by residents of the camp, to offer sports, activities and education to young people. The centre, although small, is a great success where children learn the traditional Palestinian dabkah dance, various sports and take part in field trips. The centre promotes international links and looks forward to one of its students traveling to France to take part in a boxing tournament.
A mural painted outside one of the schools in the camp
Ahmad’s story shows the harsh reality of young people living under occupation and the attempt by the army to deny children a childhood. Community centres set up all over the Occupied Territories successfully give some children a chance to be children and, in so doing, continue the resilience of the Palestinian people.
8th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus, Occupied Palestine
By Team Nablus
Nablus was disturbed by two army jeeps driving in a circuit round the city centre and shooting tear gas at young men, with no clear intent other than to harass them for around three hours.
Shooting and sound bombs were heard beginning at 01:45. Two Israeli military jeeps circled around one block in central Nablus for three hours shooting tear gas and sound bombs at a group of 20 young people. The excessive shooting of tear gas at close range caused public property damage to surrounding buildings and street lights.
There were three arrests Azz Aldan Salha (22) and Raed Saig from Nablus and Ahmad Sorf (24), from New Askar refugee camp. Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, Nablus is designated as Area A, which nominally is within full Palestinian Authority jurisdiction.
Nablus sees regular Israeli military incursions, typically to give armed support to night-time settler visits to Joseph’s Tomb or raids on Palestinian homes, often in the city’s refugee camps, but elsewhere too, such as the arrest of 17 students from al-Najjar University last week.
2nd May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Ni’lin, Occupied Palestine
By Team Nablus
It’s been four years since I had visited and lived in Ni’lin and the decision to visit on Friday filled me simultaneously with excitement and longing but also dread. Four years ago I had supported the non violent resistance in Ni’lin as an ISM activist and had experienced the horror and oppression of the occupiers against such actions. Ni’lin’s demonstrations against the Apartheid Wall represented the Ni’lin population’s resilience. They would not let more land, that was the life blood of the community, be stolen.
I arrived in the village not knowing what to expect. Four years is a long time and although parts looked familiar everything was also completely different. The town seemed busier and I was surprised to see cash machines in the Baladia (town centre). I felt disorientated as I gazed at the walls that were adorned with advertisements instead of martyr posters. Ni’lin has suffered heavily under the occupation, not just from the loss of land but also the persecution of its non violent resistance. Five shaheeds (martyrs) were killed by the Israeli occupation forces for opposing the Wall. I arrived early and wandered around Ni`lin with a fellow activist to hopefully reconnect with old friends. I had imagined that it would be okay just to turn up for the demonstration but needed time to acknowledge and deal with things that happened during my stay. I walked to the shop to prepare by buying ‘Top Drink’ a hydration must when sampling Ni’lin produce. From there we walked up the hill to the hospital, as I knew that two of the martyrs were buried near there. Four years ago Ni’lin did not just demonstrate against the wall but jumped into action to demonstrate against the slaughter that was taking place in Gaza as part of ‘Operation Cast Lead.’ Ni’lin demonstrated with other Palestinians on everyday of the operation from mid day until sunset. On the 28th of Decenber 2008 20 year old Mohammed Khawaje and 22 year old Arafat Khawaje were shot with live ammunition whilst demonstrating in solidarity with Gaza alongside international and Israeli activists.
The atrocity was just two of the many that happened at the time as international media was focussed on Gaza. The killings were unimaginable to myself and were the reason it took me so long to return to Palestine.
Walking back towards the baladia, we were approached by a young boy who recognised me. This made me very happy and we spoke about his older brother and family who I knew and made arrangements to meet them after the demonstration. The boy was now 10 but was still as happy as he always was. I felt concern for him as he joined the demonstrations fearing for his safety as all Palestinians who participate put themselves in danger. The first martyr from Ni’lin was his age, Ahmed Mousa, who was shot dead at a demonstration on 29th July 2008. At Ahmed’s funeral 17 year old Youssef Amirah was shot dead with a rubber coated steal bullet a day later.
My young friend took me to the demonstration in the olive fields where we passed a martyr poster, the most recent, that I hurtfully found out when checking up on Ni’lin after I had gone back to my country. Yousef ‘Akil’ Srour who was 36 years old when shot with 0.22 live ammunition during a demonstration.
A young demonstrator at Ni`ilin
We proceeded to the demonstration where people came up and welcomed me, hugging me and shaking my hand as I apologised for taking so long to return. After the prayer, we approached the wall, which is now complete. Before 1948 Ni’lin owned 58’000 dunams of land from which 40’000 was stolen by the creation of Israel. The 1967 occupation lead to the construction of the illegal settlements of Nili, Modin ilit, Hashmon’im Mattiyahu that took 8’000 dunams. In 2008, the construction of the Wall stole another 2’500 dunams and a tunnel exclusively for settlers, highlighting the nature of apartheid, 200 dunams. Nearly 90% of Ni’lins original land has been stolen since 1948.
It infuriated and saddened me that the Wall was built after so much tragedy. The demonstrators tried to force open the metal gate as army fired tear gas. I felt very tense and worried during the demonstration, remembering the arsenal of weapons that had been previously used on Ni’lin demonstrations. On this occasion they just fired tear gas, but in the past they used live ammunition, 0.22 live ammunition, rubber and plastic coated steel bullets and the deadly high velocity tear gas canister that critically injured 37 year old Tristan Anderson, an international volunteer, on March 13th 2009 just a week after I left, who needed 15 months of treatment in hospital and has been left permanently disfigured.
I met up with a friend after the demonstration where I met his new brother and sister who had been born during the time I was away. It felt symbolic that he had a brother who was four and a sister of two who played around him, that showed the new life and that there is hope that the future generation need not live in fear. We spoke a lot about the situation and the past whilst drinking coffee and smoking argila. I asked about how the wall had changed life in Ni’lin, but the responses were always optimistic, ‘life is good, life will be better, the wall will fall.’
I said goodbye and promised it would not take four years to return and looked forward to my next visit.
1st May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus, Occupied Palestine
By Team Nablus
Yesterday Israeli settlers from the Illegal settlement of Yizhar set fire to the fields of Asira al Qibliya, Burin and Urif as well as attacking the school and many homes in the villages, all while the Israeli Military and Border Police provided protection for them.
Settlers attack village residents as the Israeli army stand by . Photo: Activestills
The attacks were provoked by the stabbing of a settler from Yitzhar settlement this morning who died on the scene at Tappuah Junction near Nablus. This was the first Israeli to die in the West Bank since 2011. 9 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the beginning of this year and serious attacks by settlers regularly occur without punishment for the perpetrators. At around the same time as the settler was killed this morning, a man in Gaza was killed by a targeted Israeli air strike whilst he rode his motorcycle.
At 11.15am 50 settlers from Yitzhar, named by the UN as one of the most violent settlements in the West Bank, attacked the boys high school in Urif whilst lessons were in progress. Standing outside the school the settlers threw rocks into the school breaking windows. Two students were injured by the flying glass when it hit their head, another student was injured when a rock hit his foot. Around 100 students then fled the school by jumping over the outer walls whilst the other 100 students remained inside too scared to leave. They were then trapped in the school as the settlers continued to throw rocks at the school and into the car park and at cars when anyone attempted to leave.
The settlers simultaneously lit at least ten fires on the agricultural land surrounding the school. Within ten minutes of the attack the army arrived and began shooting tear gas into the school grounds and at locals who had arrived to protect the school. One student was hit in the head by a tear gas canister and taken to hospital for medical attention.
The fighting then continued on the land above the school where the fifty settlers continued to throw rocks at locals and Palestinians responded by throwing rocks in return. Around fifty army and border police stood between and around the two groups firing tear gas and sound bombs at the Urif locals. The army did not fire tear gas or sound bombs at the settlers. Settlers continued to throw rocks at locals and at international activists whilst the army tried to push the locals back, at times using pepper spray to incapacitate a number of people. Some scuffles between Urif locals and army broke out but no arrests were made.
The clashes continued until around 1pm when the settlers finally began to return to Yitzhar and locals were pushed back down into the village by the army using tear gas and sound bombs. A drone plane was spotted flying over the village at this time. The army continued to fire tear gas into the village for the next hour after the fighting had stopped. At least one local was incapacitated by gas inhalation and required medical attention. Around 3pm settlers approached the village from the other side and threw Molotov cocktails at machinery and lit fires on land near olive trees until they were driven back by locals arriving on the scene.
In the neighbouring village of Asira settlers set fire to 14 fields which destroyed large areas of land. 4 Israeli military jeeps entered the village and shot tear gas at the residents as they tried to protect their land. At the Tappuah junction school busses containing Palestinian children were stoned heavily by settlers. Around fifty settlers also attacked Burin during their rampage, attacking the village and setting fire to large areas of agricultural land.
The villages of Burin, Asira and Urif which surround the illegal settlement of Yitzhar face daily violence from its Zionist settlers. Palestinians are regularly injured, schools are frequently attacked, agricultural land it often set alight and residential homes are often damaged. The Israeli army also frequently raid the villages, often in the middle of the night, to search houses and make wanton arrests, often of children. Under the Fourth Geneva Convention collective punishment is a war crime.
Fields burn during settler attacks. Photo : Activestils
