November 23, 2018 | International Solidarity Movement | Kafr Qaddum, OccupiedPalestine
Fourteen years ago the Israeli Government closed the road between Kafr Qaddum and Nablus, extending the distance to 14 km, effectively making what would be a 15 minute journey for the villagers, into 40 minutes. The protests began in 2011 to reopen the illegal roadblock, and have continued every Friday and Saturday since then.
Israeli snipers were inside the village
Today’s protest, as always, began after prayer. Immediately, the soldiers started firing live rounds, rubber bullets, and tear gas.
The coordinator of the demonstration, Murad Eshtewi, was hit with a live round in the right thigh. After being transferred to an ambulance, a fellow demonstrator took his place, speaking into the megaphone.
In response to the tear gas and gunfire, the youth began throwing stones – deemed by Israel as a crime punishable up to 20 years in prison.
Several internationals were present, including those from ISM, IWPS, and the Press. A 65-year-old Italian national – a volunteer with ISM – was shot in her left thigh by a rubber-coated steel bullet. “I was just standing there,” she recalls, “It was good that I was turned away. I could’ve been shot in the knee.” Another young boy was also shot in the leg, and was carried off into an ambulance, reportedly in shock.
This attack on another peaceful demonstration against the illegal road block, only confirms the increase in aggression by the army. Discouraging protest by the Palestinians, and international solidarity thereof, is the only take-away from an attack like this. “They used less bombs and tear gas… But they used more bullets,” another demonstrator states.
Demonstrations by Palestinians and Internationals are expected to continue for this Saturday, and the following weekends.
29th June 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Burin, occupied Nablus
Burin is a small village located seven kilometres to the southwest of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, and is home to around 3000 people. The village is surrounded by multiple illegal Israeli settlements, and is subjected to constant violent settler attacks and raids by Israeli forces.
For the past nine years, the village has been hosting an annual kite festival for its residents and their friends and families. The festival is one of the biggest yearly events in the village and is looked forward to by children and adults alike.
Residents of Burin gather on top of the hill outside the village to fly their kites (photo: ISM)
With burning kites being flown by demonstrators from Gaza into Israel as part of the Great Return March, this years display in Burin was particularly poignant. The Great Return March has been protesting the 11 year siege of the strip by Israel.
International Solidarity Movement activists spoke to 21 year old Yasmeen Mustafa Waleed Najjar, the first Arab amputee to climb the highest peak in Africa and one of the organisers of the festival, about what the annual celebration means to the local community.
21 year old Yasmeen Mustafa Waleed Najjar, one of the organisers of the festival (photo: ISM)
“Our village is surrounded by settlements from all angles, as you can see. We fly our kites every year to prove that this is our land. Even if we can’t go there ourselves, our kites fly over the invisible borders and reach what we cannot. We have been organising this festival for nine years, to resist the occupation and show Israel that we are strong inside and out. We can still have fun days in the mountains under their occupation, with music, food and games, bringing joy to our children.
Palestinians fly home made kites at the festival (photo: ISM)
“The idea started as a form of peaceful resistance. Zionist settlers and occupation forces regularly come inside my village to attack us or cause problems. Settlers killed one of my classmates when I was at school, and they come into our houses at night – I remember many times that they entered my house when my family was asleep. They also kill our animals and do a lot of terrible things.
“There is a checkpoint near the village school that my brother and sister study at. The settlers entered the school, protected by soldiers, pushing the students into the classrooms and locking the doors. The occupation has put up watchtowers and fences in close proximity to the school. I remember my younger brother telling me one day, ‘I don’t want to go to school anymore because they always come. I don’t want to go.’
A young girl watches a kite as her father looks on (photo: ISM)
“The village comes together to organise the kite festival to make joy for the children and have fun all together. We stand in solidarity with our community and the Palestinians everywhere who live under this occupation. I volunteer with many organisations, and we do everything to support our people and show the world what is happening here. We are showing the beauty of Palestine to the hearts of others, regardless of the occupation. We invite people from all around, including national groups from my university.
“All the boys in the village make their kites together in the week before the festival. It’s a skill that’s passed down through the generations – their older brothers teach them, and when they are older they teach their younger brothers. It’s become a really easy thing for our kids, and a fun activity to do together and a way to enjoy time with friends and family. It’s a game all of us play – everyone can fly a kite here.
Women watch the festivities from the top of the hill (photo: ISM)
“I was young when the festival started. I remember one year, lots of solders came when we started flying kites on the mountain. They stopped the festival and sent us all back home. We waited for an hour, then all came back and continued to fly our kites! I came with my brothers and sisters and we flew a kite that we had made. It was amazing.
“I can’t remember exactly when I started to get involved with arranging the festival. It was a long time ago. From the age of 11 or 12, the children of our community participate in everything that can bring positivity to our village.”
Palestinians and International activists successfully planted dozens of olive saplings in the north of West Bank in the village of Burin near Nablus. Palestinians and Internationals together laid pictures of prominent activists in front of the planted saplings, some of these activists were killed by the Israeli army others are Palestinian political Prisoners.
Activists acknowledged and remembered are:
Bilal Al Najjar Martyr from Burin
Munther Amira Political Prisoner
Tom Hurndall ISM Activist
Khalida Jarrar Political Prisoner
Ahed Tamimi Political Prisoner
Rachel Corrie ISM Activist
Vittorio Arrigoni ISM Activist
The action was organized by The Popular Struggle Committee but was also attended by Yahia Kadous the head of the municipal council in Burin, activists from Arab Group For The Protection Of Nature, International Solidarity Movement, Stop The Wall and The Enlightenment Forum Tanwer.
The meeting point for today’s action was at the secondary school in Burin, the same school that was attacked three days in a row last week by the Israeli army. The Israeli army fired tear gas and stun grenades at school children on these days and many children and teachers suffered from tear gas inhalation. The army also filmed the children with a surveillance drone before entering the school on the last day of attack to issue a land confiscation order for around 26 dunums, which belongs to the school; this was the same area of land where the olive sapling action happened today. It is also worth mentioning that the Israeli army has seized 1,000 dunums of land belonging to the school in the past. Israel issued the school with a confiscation of land order for the development of a ‘security wall.’ A wall is often constructed so that more Palestinian land can be taken behind the wall by the Israeli state.
The village of Burin is surrounded by Jewish only settlements and is directly overlooked by the illegal settlement of Yitzar and numerous illegal settler outposts. Historically these outposts are first recognized by the Israeli state and then developed into permanent illegal settlements. The colonialist settlers from Yitzar are notoriously violent and have attacked the Palestinian villagers and property in Burin countless times often with the backing of the Israeli army.
Everyone gathered at the school in Burin at 11 am, A commemorative plaque was gifted to International Solidarity Movement from the Popular Struggle Committee honoring and in remembrance of Rachel Corrie. Rachel Corrie was killed fifteen years ago on the 16th of March whilst volunteering with International Solidarity Movement in Rafah Gaza attempting to prevent the demolition of Palestinian homes when an Israeli bulldozer ran her over.
The army gathered at the top of the hill as the community and activists sang and chanted anti-occupation slogans whilst digging and planting olive saplings. Towards the end of the action, settlers also gathered at outposts but surprisingly the activists were not prevented from planting over a dozen olive saplings. Today’s action was hugely successful.
Wael Al Faqih who was present at the action today is active in the popular resistance and also a member of The Enlightenment Forum Tanwer.
Wael stated ” This Land was defended by the blood of the martyrs of the Palestinian people and the martyrs of International Solidarity Movement activists Rachel Corrie, Tom Hurdell and Vittorio Arrigoni In order to protect human rights and justice against imperialism, Zionism and colonialism.”
Those lost and politically imprisoned will forever be remembered as the struggle against occupation continues until Palestine is free.
9th March 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, al Khalil team | Occupied Palestine
Today local Palestinian citizens gathered in their village of Kafr Qaddum, protesting against the illegal Israeli settlement of Kadumim and the road blockage that inhibits access to their village. Israeli armed forces fired copious rounds of tear gas, stun grenades, rubber coated steel bullets and live ammunition. During the protest an 18-year old Palestinian man was hit in the shoulder by a rubber coated steel bullet.
Shortly after Friday prayer, Palestinian demonstrators marched towards the main road in Kafr Qaddum. Israeli armed forces were positioned on hills surrounding the village, immediately firing rubber coated steel bullets and live ammunition at protesters. During the demonstration an 18-year old Palestinian man was hit by a rubber coated steel bullet in his shoulder, but was luckily not in need of hospitalization. The protests went on for about 3 hours where Israeli soldiers kept firing live ammunition as well as tear gas and stun grenades whilst advancing toward the village. An Israeli drone accompanied the soldiers on top of the hills surveying the area.
The villagers of Kafr Qaddum have had weekly protests since 2011 due to the closing of the main road in 2003 that now leads to the illegal settlement of Kadumim. This has had severe effects on the citizens of Kafr Qaddum and is a form of collective punishment, what was once a 15-minute drive to Nablus is now 40-minute drive.
12th February 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Occupied Palestine
This Sunday, 6 Israeli military jeeps with soldiers entered the village of Hares, southwest of Nablus, in order to raid three schools filled with kids of all ages. Around 10 AM about 20 Israeli soldiers tried to enter the school yards of the two high schools. The pupils were in between classes and all out in the school yard. The teachers managed to lock the gate, so the soldiers stopped and interrogated all the cars and the people passing in the street outside.
Being unable to enter, they then moved on the elementary school. Many of the children were scared and tried to go home, but the stressed out teachers managed to collect them in the classrooms, locking the gate to keep the soldiers out. The new Shabak officer of the region was leading the incursion.
That night, Ibrahim, a six-year old boy from the school came to sleep in his father Issa’s bed for the first time. “He always sleeps in his own bed”, Issa says to the ISMers meeting them. “He asked me if he won’t be able to go to school again tomorrow and when I asked him why he would think not he said ‘Cause the soldiers might come again’.” Issa then tried to convince his son that the soldiers wouldn’t come “But he then asked me ‘Who can guarantee that?’ and all I could do was to persuade him to go to school. He does not seem relaxed and still sleeps in my bed.”
Issa also emphasises how many kids in Hares and all around Palestine suffer from similar traumas. “For sure my son is not the only one reacting like this. There are many children having nightmares and wetting their beds every night as a reaction to the soldiers raiding their schools.”
A few years ago Israeli soldiers entered the schools daily. Around 1000 girls and boys met the soldiers every day, but after the village managed to bring up a case towards the Israeli military, the raids stopped. Now many villagers fear the children will once again get more traumatised.
