Israeli soldiers opened fire on civilians at Huwarra checkpoint at 8am on Monday 22nd September.
Photo by Nadal Shtayah
The gunfire followed an alleged attempt by a Palestinian woman to pour acid on Israeli soldiers, echoing an attack that took place at the checkpoint two weeks ago. There are mixed reports as to whether any soldiers were injured in the attempt, with some eyewitnesses claiming that most of the unknown substance was thrown on the ground, some inadvertantly splashing a nearby Palestinian man.
Photo by Nasser Shtayah
The young woman reportedly ran into the crowd, who were passing through the checkpoint, and was chased by Israeli soldiers. Soldiers then opened fire on the crowd of innocent civilians, using live ammunition. Four people were reportedly injured by the gunfire, with two requiring hospitalisation.
Photo by Nasser Shtayah
One, Iyad Amer, a nurse in Nablus, is currently being treated in the Arab Special Hospital in Nablus for gunshot wounds to his foot and shoulder. Another, Mahmoud Fateh Daroushi, 18 years old, from Arwata, was passing through the checkpoint on his way to university when the woman ran past him. He was then hit in the lower back with shrapnel, as a bullet ricocheted off a nearby rock. He reports that the soldiers were firing directly into the crowd – at the ground and at waist-height, from just 4-5 metres away.
One woman was arrested – Saabil Break, an English student at An Najar university in Nablus. It is unknown at this time as to whether she is the same woman who escaped detention after the acid attack two weeks ago.
Huwarra checkpoint is one of the busiest in the West Bank, with thousands of Palestinians passing through each day. It is especially crowded in the early morning, as workers and students pour in to the city from around the region.
Israeli military spokespeople are claiming that these attacks are the result of supposed leniency being exercised by Israeli soldiers at checkpoints during the month of Ramadan. During this month, however, human rights organisations have documented beatings; regular use of arbitrary detention; and extreme and unnecessary delays resulting in queues lasting many hours. Also in this month, Naheel Abu Rideh was denied entry to Nablus through Huwarra checkpoint for many hours whilst in labour, resulting in a stillbirth of her second child.
Israeli settlers torched olive groves in two arson attacks in villages to the south of Nablus on Thursday 18th September, 2008. Approximately 300 trees belonging to the village of Sarra, and another 30 trees belonging to farmers from villages of Burin, Madema and Assira al Qibliya were burnt in what villagers are describing as a co-ordinated attack.
At approximately 10:30am settlers from the Israeli settlement Harvat Gilad reportedly set fire to the land of Sarra, according to communications between Israeli military and Palestinian fire-fighting brigades. Based in Burin, the only fire engine to service 25 villages in south Nablus was called to put out the fire by the Palestinian District Coordination Office (DCO). The firefighters were prevented from reaching the blaze by Israeli police, who detained them for over an hour while the land burnt. Finally, the firefighters were allowed through to access the blaze after contacting the Israeli DCO, the body that coordinates the Israeli military and police activities in the West Bank. While more than 300 olive trees were destroyed by the arson attack, firefighters were able to save more than 400 trees from the blaze. Israeli soldiers stood by and watched the trees burn as firefighters fought to quench the flames, although confirmed the identities of the perpetrators as Israeli settlers from nearby Harvat Gilad settlement.
Firefighters returned to Burn in time to attend the fire that was lit in the lands shared by Burin, Madema and Assira al Qibliya, but according to members of the Burin fire brigade, were advised by members of B’tselem human rights organisation who were present at the scene, that Israeli settlers had promised to shoot any Palestinians who approached the area. They also received a phone call from the Isreali DCO who prohibited them from attending. Mayor of Burin municipality, Ali Eid, reported that they called the Israeli DCO also, who advised that they would attend to the fire, but as Ali Eid claims “This was propaganda. They did nothing.” Instead it was members of the Israeli human rights group Rabbis for Human Rights who were fighting the blaze “bare-handedly for three hours” according to the Burin Mayor. Aided by the wind, which kept the fire from spreading throughout the olive groves, the human rights volunteers were finally able to extinguish the blaze, losing just 30 olive trees.
These villages have come under attacks by Israeli settlers increasingly over the past months, with regular attacks on houses, animals, crops and olive groves. As Ali Eid commented
“This {fire} is not the first time; this is the hundredth time.” He and other villagers report that Israeli settlers from the illegal Yitzhar settlement set fire to the trees in the olive groves that border the hilltop settlement with startling regularity. “Every year trees are burnt on this hill’ one villager advised. “These trees are from Roman times; they are ancient. More than 2000 years old.” Indeed, it seems that the fires occur even more regularly than this, with more than 3000 olive trees in Burin burnt just two months ago. Of these, 1000 were ancient. Poring over a satellite-view map of the villages and the illegal settlements, Ali Eid estimates that this year the upcoming olive harvest will take only half the time it should, with more than fifty percent of the trees destroyed already.
Despite the decreased harvest period, people from Burin are still extremely worried about what violence they might face when attempting to pick their olives. Just last week, when settlers from Yitzhar were rioting in Assira al Qibliya, settlers from Bracha settlement to the north-east of Burin, attacked an elderly shepherd, firing live ammunition at him. Whilst the shepherd escaped unharmed, nine of his goats and one donkey were killed in the attack.
Villagers list the most common forms of attack they experience at the hands of the settlers that surround their village: burining trees; poisoning sheep; poisoning entire areas; regular attacks on houses closest to the settlements and burning of electricity and telephone lines (which happened most recently just one month ago). Recently, however, added to this list is a series of rocket attacks from both Yitzhar and Bracha settlements. To date nine rockets have been fired on the village, though all have landed harmlessly in fields. Ali Eid presents the exploded shell of a rocket, launched from Yitzhar towards the village of Odela. Ripped apart by force of the impact, the 3mm thick steel shell bears markings English text – letters “WP” distinguishable amid the rust, suggesting the projectile was not home-made.
“Why they do this we don’t know.” says Ali Eid gravely. “This year women, girls, guys – they all make fire. Why? We don’t know.” He notes, however, that “all the time they {leaders} are talking about peace, the attacks become worse”, referring to the increase in attacks experienced by Palestinian villagers during Israeli/Palestinian peace negotiations.
To see more about ISM’s 2008 Olive Harvest click here
On Sunday 14 September settlers from the Itamar settlement near the Palestinian village of Awarta, Nablus, burned and destroyed 70 dunums of land (between 6-10% of their harvest) with approximately 400 olive tree’s, vital to the livelihood of the village.
In the morning settlers set fire to tree’s belonging to Awarta village destroying trees. They then came back in the evening and repeated the attack. At 23:30 on Sunday evening Assad Abdul Kareem spotted 4 settlers from the Itamar settlement descending the hill towards the village and set further fires on the land. This was also spotted by 2 local Nablusi from Balata camp in the area collecting steel. They reported the attack to the army.
Mandour Dawish and Hanni Darawshi from Awarta village took photos of the settlers and the fires. While doing this the army arrived and detained the 2 men for 2 hours and wiped the photos from one camera. They were unaware that the men had two cameras. The army did nothing to prevent the fire despite witness’s statements and photographs of the settler attack.
Awarta village is at the base one of the many expanding and aggressive settlement, illegal under international law. The olive tree’s are vital to the villages’ economy and 10,000 dunums fall near the settlement where it is forbidden for Palestinian farmers to get to their land to harvest or tend to the tree’s. Just 2 months ago settlers attacked a farmer and stole his donkey while he was attending his trees in the area.
To view original article, published by Haaretz on the 14th September, click here
Dozens of youths from the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar on Sunday established an outpost near a Palestinian village that settlers had rampaged in the previous day.
The settlers were responding Saturday to the stabbing of a 10-year-old Israeli boy by a Palestinian at the illegal outpost of Shalhevet Yam near Yitzhar.
Earlier Sunday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared that Israel’s government will not allow settlers to carry out “pogroms against non-Jews.”
Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting one day after the rampage in the village of Assira al-Kabaliya, Olmert said “there will not be pogroms against non-Jews in the state of Israel.”
The violence in Assira al-Kabaliya left at least eight Palestinians hurt. The boy, stabbed in the back and the hand, sustained minor wounds.
“The phenomenon of [settlers] taking the law into their own hands and lashing out with violence and brutality is unforgivable, and will be dealt with by the law enforcement authorities,” Olmert said.
The prime minister went on to describe the previous day’s events, saying “in northern Samaria there was a terror attack, and a young boy was hurt. This is serious and momentous and the defense forces will find the culprit and do what needs to be done, as they do every day. However, Yitzhar settlers went on a retaliatory rampage against Palestinian residents, using live fire.”
Olmert went on to say that there was no reason to believe that the Palestinians targeted by the settlers had any connection to the stabbing attack earlier in the day.
“There are law enforcement authorities in the state of Israel,” Olmert told the cabinet, “we have a military and security services and we won’t allow this kind of violence or brutal attacks on civilians. Moreover, the violence is not used against those suspected of terrorism, it is used against Israel Defense Forces officers and soldiers. I urge the authorities to take measures to end this grave phenomenon.”
In a meeting of Labor Party ministers earlier Sunday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak sais that “the defense establishment will act with decisiveness to enforce law and order in the West Bank, but we need the cooperation of the police and the legal system.”
Soldiers operating in village of Asira al-Kabaliya, which was attacked by settlers Saturday, find group of left-wing activists in one of houses. ‘It was our duty to arrive and express our solidarity with the residents,’ explains activist Yonatan Polak
By Ali Waked
To view original article, published by Ynet on the 14th September, click here
An IDF force which raided the West Bank village of Asira al-Kabaliya near the settlement of Yitzhar on Saturday night, apparently as part of an operation for the arrest of wanted Palestinians, was surprised to discover a group of left-wing activists in one of the houses.
The activists arrived in the area following the riots which broke out in the village Saturday after a Palestinian stabbed a nine-year-old Jewish child and settlers flocked to the village and caused heavy damage.
The IDF force is believed to have operated in the village in the night in a bid to locate the Palestinian who stabbed the child. The troops were surprised to find a group of Israeli left-wing activists inside one of the houses they searched.
The force informed the group that the village was under curfew and inquired about the reasons for their arrival.
One of the Israeli activists, Yonatan Polak, told Ynet that he and his friends had arrived in the village in order to express their solidarity with the residents and attempt to reduce the level of violence.
“I saw with my own eyes settlers throwing stones on Palestinians, with soldiers standing by and doing nothing. Six people were injured here yesterday from live ammunition, and it was our duty to come here and express our solidarity,” he said.
According to Polak, the troops did not cause damage in the house where he was discovered with his friends, but claimed that the entire content of a neighboring house raided was thrown onto the street and that the soldiers caused damaged to property.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Office has yet to respond to the claims.
Stabbing attack followed by revenge campaign
The violent clashes in the area Saturday began in a stabbing attack which left a nine-year-old child from Yitzhar lightly injured, after a Palestinian infiltrated the settlement and set fire to an empty building.
The Palestinian then entered another house, stabbed the child five times and threw him off a 2-meter (6.5-feet) high balcony.
Following the incident, dozens of settlers raided the village of Asira al-Kabaliya, fired in the air, shattered windows, caused damage to property and injured several Palestinians.
IDF soldiers confiscated the weapons of two settlers, but did not arrest them.
According to the Palestinians, six people were wounded by live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets. Although the cartridges were found in the area, the settlers denied firing in the village.
The settlers claimed that the chain of events was the result of an IDF failure, as one of the soldiers had spotted the Palestinian arriving at the settlement but failed to do anything about it.
