Within 48 hours of Yahya Atta Rayahin Bani Minnah’s death, the official Israeli statement on the cause of death changed considerably. As documented in previous report, the Israeli army physician who was present at the scene of the murder told the mayor of Aqraba, Mr Jabr, directly that the wounds were caused by M16 bullets. This was confirmed in official statements from the Israeli police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld, who is reported as saying:
Tag: Nablus
Settlers murder 18 year old boy from the village of Aqraba, Nablus
On Saturday 27 September settlers from the illegal outpost of Itamar settlement, to the east of Nablus city, executed 18 year old shepherd Yahya Atta Rayahin Bani Minnah from Aqraba village.
Yahya Minnah had left the village of Aqraba in the early morning along with a number of other shepherds to graze their sheep in the Alifjem area 10km from Aqraba village. This area had been stolen by Israel after 1967 and declared a closed military zone. The area covers over 80% of the fertile land for Aqraba and contains essential farmland with over 20,000 goats and sheep grazing in the area.
Shortly after Iftar (the breaking of the day-long fast during the Holy month of Ramadan) goats and sheep belonging to Yahya returned to the village of Aqraba without their shepherd. Relatives and local villagers immediately became concerned for his safety and went out to search the surrounding area. At approximately 22:00 that evening they made the shocking discovery, finding Yahya with multiple bullet wounds to his body.
The villagers called the Israeli army and police who attended the scene at approximately 23:30 where an Israeli army physician examined the body and told villagers the wounds were likely to have been inflicted by an M16 machine gun. This gun is the usual attire of settlers in the region.
Yahya had suffered between 3-4 bullet wounds to both the neck and chest with the remaining 6-8 bullet wounds inflicted upon his legs. It is believed that he was shot 20 metres from the site where his body was found which would be consistent with the blood seen by witnesses. Local shepherds in the area report seeing a white van containing two settlers driving to the area where Yahya was found dead at approximately 14:00 that day.
The Israeli DCO made contact with the local mayor of Aqraba, Jowdat Beni Jabr in order to ascertain if Yahya had any reason for dispute within Aqraba, however, witnesses to the settler presence have not as yet been contacted by the Israeli authorities. At 03:00 the next morning the army took the body of Yahya to the Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine in Israel for an autopsy, the body being returned to the village on Monday morning. Over a thousand villagers filled the streets of Aqraba for the funeral march to pay their respects to the young shepherd. Yahya was engaged and due to be married in the coming year.
In recent weeks settler attacks and violence in the villagers surrounding Nablus has increased. The murder of Yahya echoes the killing of a shepherd from Aqraba two years ago where settlers from the Itamar settlement attacked and killed in the same area. A settler is currently on trail in Israel for the murder, and villagers suspect that Yahya’s murder may have been an act of vengeance in connection with this trial.
Israel’s ‘lenient’ Ramadan checkpoint policy in action
Harassment of Palestinians at Asira al Shamalia checkpoint, Nablus
On Saturday 27 September International activists witnessed a number of Israeli soldiers and jeeps checking Palestinian vehicles at Asira al Shamalia checkpoint, creating large tailbacks at 17:30 in the run up to Ifta (the breaking of the day long fast during the Holy month of Ramadan).
Checkpoint Asira al Shamalia is the access point from Nablus city to the surrounding villages in the north and is normally an open checkpoint with a watch tower for the army to observe. Many Palestinians working in Nablus use this road to return to their villages in the North. The Israeli army has stated in public that they “are implementing a more lenient policy at checkpoints as part of the military’s effort to ease restrictions on the Palestinian population during the month of Ramadan”.
International activists passed through the checkpoint at 3pm and vehicles were passing through swiftly, however, when large queues in both directions were evident when they returned at 17:30. Witnesses report that after Ifta searches of cars and identifications ceased and vehicles were allowed to pass freely. This directly contradicts the Israeli army’s claim that checks around the West Bank have been eased during Ramadan. The use of checkpoints as a form of punishment and oppression is evident throughout the West Bank with unexplained flying checkpoints and closures common place.
Prayer demonstration against illegal waste dump in Deir Sharaf
On Friday 24 September, the last Friday of Ramadan, over 100 villagers from Qusin, Deir Sharaf and international activists gathered to take part in a symbolic prayer on occupied land north of Nablus city.
In 2002 Israel confiscated the land from the Abu Shusha family, owner of the quarry in the area where the waste dump is proposed. After rubbish from local settlements around Nablus where deposited on the land villagers successfully demonstrated to have the dumping cease.
In early September 2008 the Israeli military returned to the land, which is situated below illegal settlements and an Israeli industrial zone, to begin landscaping the area for a larger waste project. Village municipalities were informed that this would include not only waste from local settlements, but industrial waste and rubbish from as far away as Tel Aviv. The land is also above one of the main water reservoirs for the Nablus region supplying 40% of the water for the area.
In response to this illegal dumping and the potential ecological and health disasters for the inhabitants due to contaminated water and land, villagers and council members from Qusin and Deir Sharaf participated in a prayer demonstration on the land. A number of Palestinian officials and Palestinian Legislative Council members along with 7 internationals activists also attended the rally. Upon entrance to the site a representative from the DCO was sighted, however, fortunately the demonstration passed peacefully with no injuries or army presence.
Villagers and supporters are planning further demonstrations in the area until the illegal dumping is stopped as part of the peaceful resistance to the Israeli occupation. With the encroaching Apartheid Wall eating up much of the Palestinian lands, expanding settlements around the West Bank and violence at the hands of both settlers and the army this is yet another tragic example of the continuing Nakba inflicted upon the local Palestinian population.
The ongoing terror inflicted on the residents of Asira al Qibliya, Nablus
Following constant violence by the residents of the illegal Yitzhar settlement and the Israeli army, which culminated on Saturday 20 September with the murder of 14 year old Suhayb Salin, the terror inflicted on the village of Asira al Qibliya has not abated. For the last 4 nights villagers have reported that at least 2 army jeeps have entered the village releasing sounds bombs between midnight and the early hours of the morning each night before leaving.
In the last month the residents of Yitzhar settlement have been inflicting a reign of terror on the local Palestinian population. Footage taken on a camera supplied by B’Teselm showed settlers and the army attacking residents of the village and vandalising their property. In a statement to the BBC the Israeli army said that they see “the wounding of civilian Palestinians as severe, and will continue to enforce law and order”. Indeed the then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stated the attack was “intolerable” and police would be investigating.
International activists visited the village on Friday 26 September and no Israeli police or army officials had interviewed the villagers about the events that took place during the invasion by the Yitzhar settlers.
Suhayb Salin was shot in both legs followed by multiple bullet wounds to his chest by the Israeli army. The army alleged that Suhayb was heading towards the settlement in order to throw a Molotov cocktail, however, no evidence of such a device or any weapons have so far been presented. Amir Salin the brother of Suhayb, was arrested on the evening of Monday 22 September shortly after his brothers funeral and villagers and the family are still awaiting to hear on what charges.
Much of the village’s land populated olive trees, falls near the settlement and with the harvest due to start in the next 2 weeks, collaboration between the army and the settlers to inflict violence on the Palestinian population, requires a strong international presence. The Israeli administration has only allowed 3 days for the farmers to access their lands in an area that requires at least 10 days to harvest. This leaves them open to violent and indeed fatal attacks by settlers during this economically important period for Palestinian farmers and their families, who rely heavily on the annual harvest.