Tag: Nablus

The village of Beita, 7 kilometres south-west of Nablus is currently closed to all traffic, after the Israeli army installed roadblocks on all of the roads leading into the village. The earth-mounds were installed three nights ago, in the early hours of Wednesday 9th April, during a large-scale invasion of the village, which coincided with the largest series of invasions and raids across the West Bank in months.

Invasions of the village have continued for the past three nights, with residents expecting another invasion tonight, 11th April. Six people have been arrested throughout the invasions, and approximately ten houses invaded and occupied by Israeli soldiers. Soldiers reportedly caused a great deal of damage to the houses they occupied, shooting water tanks, windows, breaking water pipes and other fixtures – much like the damage they inflicted during the invasion of 20th-21st February 2008. One house was occupied all day on Thursday 10th. Invasions have been marked by the shooting of live ammunition, tear gas and sound bombs, as well as the implementation of curfews at the entrance to the village.

Soldiers guarding one of the roadblocks advised that the village will be closed until Sunday 13th April, in response to alleged shooting at a settler bus that occurred on Thursday 10th April near Beita, during which no one was injured. This is a clear example of collective punishment, illegal under international law, but a common practice of the Israeli army. Whilst the occupation is often justified by Israeli government spokespeople as necessary due to the lack of security offered by Palestinian Authority police, it is clear that incidents such as these shootings only attract Israeli army response if they are executed by Palestinians. No such collective punishment was evident following the recent murder of a shepherd by an Israeli settler bus driver near the village of Salim earlier this week, despite it being clear that the driver escaped to the illegal Israeli settlement of Elon Moreh.

New Permanent Checkpoint:

Wednesday 9th April also marked the installation of a new permanent checkpoint in the Ar Ras area of Beita – along a main entrance to Beita and also in a strategically high position to enable easy monitoring of Beita by the Israeli army. The tent checkpoint was erected just weeks after Israel announced it would remove 50 of the 72 fixed checkpoints throughout the West Bank. This announcement was made in the spirit of supposedly facilitating greater freedom of movement for Palestinians, who are currently greatly restricted in this sense. The experience of residents of Beita, however, indicates the extent to which this announcement fails to translate into “facts on the ground.” As one resident expressed, “This is miserable.”

Photos by Nedal Ishtayeh

At approximately 5pm on Monday 7th April, a Palestinian shepherd boy was killed in a hit-and-run incident by an Israeli settler bus near the city of Nablus. The 15 year old boy, Sharif Badjas Ishtayeh, from the nearby village of Salim, was struck by the bus on road 557 – an Israeli-only road that connects Huwarra checkpoint with the illegal Israeli settlement of Elon Moreh. Seven of his sheep and one donkey were also killed, as the shepherd attempted to lead them across the road.

Witnesses report that the driver, heading towards the settlement Elon Moreh, hit the boy deliberately, and sped off afterwards, leaving him to die. Indeed, from the location of the bodies, it is evident that the boy and his flock were visible from at least 150 metres away, giving the driver plenty of time to avoid a collision. There is no indication from the evidence on the scene that the driver attempted to slow down at any time before or after the attack.

The identity of the Israeli driver is as yet unknown, as neither driver nor vehicle have been located since the incident.

Distraught Palestinian residents of Salim gathered at the road-side afterwards, by the slain bodies of the sheep. Clashes erupted between locals and Israeli soldiers, resulting in soldiers firing tear gas into the crowd.

The funeral for the boy was held during the night of 7th April, with most of the village turning out to mourn their latest victim of the Israeli occupation.

Today approximately twenty residents from the village of Beita near Nablus, as well as international human rights workers (HRWs), took to the mountain of Jabal al Arma to plant 200 trees in order to prevent the encroachment of nearby settlement Itamar.

The project of planting the 200 conifers was a collaboration between the municipality of Beita, the Union of Agricultural Work Committee and Norwegian People’s Aid.

The Beita municipality have reasons to believe that the mountain of Jabal al Arma on the outskirts of the village of Beita is planned as a potential site for a new outpost from the Itamar settlement, with the surrounding mountain-tops already covered with illegal settlement outposts. To prevent such a theft of land, the council is undertaking a program of caring for the site, which is already planted with olive trees, fig trees and grapes. It is hoped that by doing this, settlers will be deterred from attempting to occupy the site.

Jabal al Arma is extremely important for the village of Beita, as it contains fresh water springs that feed the town’s water supply; as well as ancient Roman ruins, which are a local tourist attraction. However, such features make it a prime target for settler occupation – as settlements are often positioned above water reserves, effectively stealing water as well as land.

This is a major problem throughout the West Bank, with settlement outposts and expansion annexing Palestinian land to Israel; polluting surrounding lands with raw sewage; and creating a system of apartheid within the West Bank as Israeli-only roads cut through Palestinian land, denying Palestinians the possibility of a contiguous state.

This project of protecting and reclaiming land is thus in operation throughout the entire West Bank, with more plantings planned for Nablus, as well as Tulkarm, Ramallah and Hebron.

Two people were arrested at the Huwarra checkpoint in Nablus today, when approximately 250 Palestinians and internationals protested there as part of the Land Day actions and commemorations that are taking place throughout the West Bank and Gaza.

Whilst the demonstration was a collaborative effort between many local organisations, including local political parties; various health care committees; the union of women’s committees; Tanweer centre for cultural enlightenment; the Disabled society and representatives from the Nablus refugee camps and villages, organisers were disappointed with the turnout. “There are not many people here because they are afraid. These days…the soldiers will kill any person” said Myasser, a member of the Women’s Committee.

The demonstration to protest against the system of checkpoints that imprisons Nablus, congregated approximately 500 metres from the Huwarra checkpoint, before marching towards it, led by member of the Nablus disabled society. The march paused to witness the erection of a large billboard which read: 41 Years of Israeli Occupation; 2738 Days of Barriers and Siege; Until When? We insist on our Right of Freedom, Justice and Peace.

As the protesters approached the checkpoint, they were confronted by two Israeli army jeeps, obstructing their path. Israeli soldiers told the protesters to go back, but demonstrators responded “No! You go back!” and continued their advance.

The Israeli soldiers then began to drive their jeeps forwards, attempting to push the demonstration back, but protesters held firm. “This is a peaceful protest”, some shouted in English, whilst others yelled in Arabic “This is apartheid!”. As more soldiers and border police arrived, tear gas and sound bombs were thrown into the crowd, in an attempt to disperse it.

Two residents of Nablus were arrested, and one man injured, as police charged at the protesters, hitting demonstrators with their guns and threatening people with tear gas and sound bombs.

The crowd finally dispersed as more and more soldiers arrived, advancing upon the demonstrators, throwing numerous sound bombs, and taking up sniper positions on the embankments.

Land Day demonstrations will continue throughout the West Bank today and tomorrow, as Palestinians commemorate the deaths of six Palestinians at popular protests against land confiscation 32 years ago today.