Tag: Nablus

Settlers Kill Palestinian in Iraq Burin

27 January 2011 | Popular Struggle Coordination Committee

Oday Maher Hamza Qadous, 19 years old, has been killed by settlers while farming his land in Iraq Burin. Army forces have taken over the village of Iraq Burin.

19 year old Oday Maher Hamza Qadous was shot to death this afternoon while farming his land in Iraq Burin near Nablus. Qadous was farming with his cousin, Omer Ahmed Qadous, on the west side of Iraq Burin when settlers from Barcha entered the farmland and shot Oday in the stomach. Omer Ahmed Qadous saw the entire event and reported that there was no confrontation with the settlers before the shooting. He said that settlers entered the farmland and began to shoot. Qadous was evacuated from the area to a Nablus hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The army is now occupying the village of Iraq Burin but no clashes have been reported.

This morning, in the village of Ein Abbus, settlers attacked villagers, set fire to a car and spray painted multiple walls with graffiti “we will never forget”. Dozens of settlers entered the village and set fire to one car. Settlers then began to vandalize Palestinian property and spray paint graffiti on walls throughout the village. Army soldiers and police arrived on the scene but did not force the settlers out of the village. Only after the settlers were exhausted from their rampage, did the army escort them from the scene.

Hebron: Checkpoint soldiers shoot driver

21 January 2011 / Ma’an News

Soldiers at a flying checkpoint on Route 60 north of Hebron shot and critically wounded a Palestinian citizen of Israel on Thursday night.

The Israeli military said events around the shooting were unclear.

Security sources identified the man as 28-year-old Jalal Al-Masri, and said he sustained a bullet wound in his head.

Officials said the Israeli report was that Al-Masri disobeyed orders of checkpoint soldiers and was fired on.

According to reports by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, the military is investigating the possibilities that the driver either did not notice the flying checkpoint, or that he intended to harm soldiers and sped toward it.

Hours earlier in the northern West Bank, the Ya’bad Mevo Dotan checkpoint was closed and eyewitnesses said the body of a Palestinian man remained lying in the car passage terminal after the Israeli military reported a man was shot in an exchange of gunfire.

The slain man, identified as Salem Omar As-Samudi, 24, from Yamoun in the Jenin district, was said by eyewitnesses to have opened fire on Israeli forces at the checkpoint, confirming Israeli military reports that a man approached checkpoint soldiers and opened fire.

Two others had been shot dead at checkpoints in the last three weeks. On January 8 Israeli troops stationed at Hamra checkpoint east of Nablus shot and killeda Palestinian man who onlookers identified as 25-year-old Khaldoun Sammoudi, of Al-Yamun village near Jenin.

An Israeli military spokesman said a man approached the checkpoint in a taxi, then got out of the vehicle and ran towards forces holding a suspicious object and shouting “Allahu Akbar.” He did not heed orders to stop and forces followed operational procedures and shot him, the army official said.

At the same checkpoint on January 1, soldiers shot and killed a 21-year-old Palestinian identified as Ahmad Maslamani, who a military spokeswoman said approached soldiers in an unauthorized lane carrying a glass bottle and did not heed orders to stop.

Witnesses said the victim approached the checkpoint carrying a coca-cola can, a female soldier shouted at him and two male soldiers immediately opened fire. Medics said Maslamani’s body was riddled with bullets.

Wa’el al Faqeeh released from Israeli prison

UPDATE | 17 November 2010: Wa’el al-Faqeeh was released from Israeli prison today and is back in his Nablus home. The International Solidarity Movement strongly condemned his arrest, which marked an escalation in Israeli targeting of Palestinian popular resistance leaders. Wa’el has been a irreplaceable grassroots organizer in the Nablus area and we are ecstatic that he has been released. He is back in Nablus and is ready to continue his reign as Chess champion.

Please consider making a donation to help pay for his legal fees (see bottom of the post to donate) or visit the International Solidarity Movement donations page.

Wa'el Al-Faqeeh

15 January 2010

On the night of December 9th 2009, over 200 Israeli soldiers entered the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Their mission: to round up local grassroots activists, whose promotion of popular struggle Israel had no answer for. Amongst those taken was 45 year old Wa’el Al-Faqeeh. Fifty soldiers stormed his home, pointing their weapons at him and his family as though the man they had come to arrest embodied a formidable threat. But those who know Al Faqeeh know that he worked tirelessly – and on a largely voluntary basis – in defense of human rights and the promotion of the strategies and philosophy of Palestinian non-violent resistance.

Political prisoner Wa’el Al-Faqeeh has been detained without charge by Israeli authorities for over a month, and is now facing trial in a military court scheduled to begin on the 19th of January. The abduction of Al-Faqeeh from his home, along with 4 other activists in the Nablus region, marked the beginning of the recent surge in Israel’s targeting of leaders of Palestinian popular resistance.

We call on you to take effective and public action to end the arrest, detention and mistreatment of Palestinian human rights activists such as Wa’el Al-Faqeeh. Deprived of his liberty and his voice, we ask you to join us in exercising our freedom of speech where he can not by calling for the release of Wa’el Al-Faqeeh and all political prisoners inside Israel’s jails.

What you can do to help:

* Contact your representatives asking them to exert pressure on Israeli officials to release Wa’el Al-Faqeeh and to end the unlawful imprisonment of human rights defenders. Click here to send a letter to Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union. Click here to send a letter to the American consulate in Jerusalem, or use the sample letter here to send to your respective representative. You can find a list of embassies and their contact information here.

* Host an event, or hold a demonstration or action in your area to raise awareness, support – and even funds – for Al-Faqeeh and all political prisoners. You could organise a film night, street projection, “Free the Prisoners” party, or a demonstration outside an Israeli embassy or consulate in your country. Organisers can contact palreports@gmail.com for media support.

* Wa’el Al-Faqeeh faces military court on the January 19. His legal defence comes at a high price and contributions to his legal fund support both Al-Faqeeh and his family. You can make a donation to the Free Wa’el fund here.


You can follow updates on Al-Faqeeh’s case and get in touch with his supporters by joining the Free Wa’el Facebook group here.

Nablus farmers denied entry to farm

20 October 2010 | International Solidarity Movement

Today a family in the village of Salim, southeast of Nablus, was prevented from harvesting their olives for a second time this year. All of their trees are located behind a settlers´ road leading to the illegal settlement of Elon More: a settlement which has stolen much of the village’s land.

As the family and three internationals approached the settlers´ road, closed by a military ga te, about 10 soldiers stood waiting for them. These soldiers said it would not be possible for the family to go onto their land because the army did not have enough forces to stay in the field with them. Internationals suggested that the soldiers present remain to ensure their safety, but instead soldiers wasted 45 minutes asserting that this wasn’t possible.

During this time, another jeep with five soldiers arrived, but the army maintained that there were not enough forces available, due to a “special operation”. Several times it was stated by the army that the commander of the unit, who was not available, had decided that the farmers could not harvest today, but “maybe tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow”.

The farmers said that this same thing happened on their last harvest last date. They had then received an oral guarantee that the army would be able to prevent settlers from attacking today, the 20th of October. Today’s lapse in commitment frustrated the family as they had prepared themselves to harvest, taking the day off from work and packing for a day in the fields. The same situation may present itself again – the Israeli DCO (District Coordination Office) will call and promise to have soldiers in the field, then deny them entry to their land after a change of plans.

Palestinian farmers who have had land stolen by illegal settlement construction still have to harvest from any trees they have left close to settlements. Many farmers depend on the army to be present, hoping that they will prevent settlers from carrying out attacks on them. The Israeli DCO issue special dates when the army will be present, but often the dates change at the last minute, giving the Palestinian families no other option than to turn around and go home. As a result, settlers are able to steal the olives before Palestinians can enter their own land.

Qusin farmers face difficulty in olive harvest

16 October 2010 | International Solidarity Movement

Soldiers in front of illegal settlement in Qusin
Soldiers in front of illegal settlement in Qusin

On Saturday, for the first time in several years, families in the village of Qusin with properties close to the illegal settlements Shave Shomeron and Shave Shomron, were able to spend a few hours harvesting their olives before soldiers forced them to leave.

One of these families has been unable to access their land for the last nine years due to settler attacks and pressure from Israeli soldiers. Another family tried to pick olives about ten days ago but soldiers arrived and stopped them.

According to the Israeli High Court of Justice decision, these farmers have the right to access their land and soldiers must come to protect them. Immediately upon the families’ arrival at their land, however, soldiers confronted them and argued that for the protection of them from settler violence, it was necessary for the farmers to leave.

The families refused to quit and continued their work while international volunteers continued negotiating with the soldiers. After a few minutes the soldiers became impatient with the discussion and left temporarily, giving the farmers a short but appreciated chance to collect their olives: their first chance in many years.

Their excitement was short lived. Four hours later more aggressive soldiers arrived and wouldn’t allow for any discussion. The Palestinians were forced to withdraw from their property.