Tag: Nablus

At approximately 8:30am on Sunday morning Israeli army forces again invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Israeli soldiers surrounded an apartment building in Al Ein refugee camp, before occupying an empty apartment on the top floor. Nearby residents advised that the soldiers occupied the apartment for approximately three hours, before withdrawing. Ayam, who lives on the bottom floor, reports that this happens so regularly now that they have become accustomed to it. It is common, she informs, for soldiers enter the building without harrassing the residents, but recounts an invasion four months ago where Israeli soldiers forced twenty of the occupants into one apartment and kept them imprisoned there for three days.

This is the third time in the past three weeks that the refugee camp has been subject to a large-scale invasion; the last invasion occurring just five days ago. Home invasions and occupations have become a regular feature of the invasions, with one family reporting soldiers occupied the lower floor of their home for four days.

Many families have reported experiences of having sound bombs and tear gas thrown into their homes, as well as extensive damage being inflicted on the homes. Many homes, for example, bear scars of soldiers breaking through floors and walls, whilst others show evidence of random and spiteful wreckage, such as in the Mabrooka’s family house where soldiers burnt all the furniture.

Whilst these incursions and attacks are undertaken under the pretext of “security purposes”, in reality they often appear to be acts of collective punishment inflicted upon families who have a relative wanted by the Israeli army. The experience of Hiyam and her family indicates the existence of such a strategy, whereby the Israeli army Commander, Asaf, whose unit invades her home with alarming regularity, advised her that he will massacre her family in order to create a trap for two of her brothers who are wanted by the Israeli army, but do not live in the home. This is not simply an idle threat, but was shown to be a serious danger when another of her brothers, who was not and never had been wanted by the Israeli army, was shot by an Israeli sniper as the soldiers surrounded their home. Hiyam recounts Commander Asaf telling her that her brother was killed in order to make her family angry, “to burn your blood”, and to break their hearts.

Hiyam’s home is invaded by the Israeli army with such regularity that they cannot keep up with the repairs of the damage inflicted. Recently, she advised, Israeli soldiers invaded her house every night, during which time the family is kept in a single room, prevented from using the bathroom. Three days ago, soldiers shot tear gas into her house and made a fire on the newly re-tiled floor of baby clothes and university study notes they found in the cupboard of an upstairs room. Now her family members have intentionally reversed their sleeping patterns, and sleep in the day, rather than at night, because they know at night the soldiers will come.

On Thursday 6th March 2008 the Women’s Committees of Nablus marched through the centre of the city to protest against the recent massacre in Gaza during which more than 115 people were murdered. In preparation for International Women’s Day on the 8th of March, the women of Nablus took to the streets carrying banners and flags demanding an end to the atrocities committed by Israel in Gaza.

Internationals joined the demonstration in solidarity with the Women’s Committees, holding pictures of some of the 27 murdered children of Israel’s ‘Operation Hot Winter’.

The rally culminated in a gathering at the central plaza where speeches were made by members of the Women’s Committees and representatives from the governorate, condemning the attacks on Gaza.

This year’s International Women’s Day actions and celebrations in Palestine will mourn and honour the deaths of the 6 women killed in their homes during the recent Gaza onslaught, which has brought the total of women killed by Israeli forces this year to 13. (PHCR, 2008)

PHCR, 8th March 2008: On International Women’s Day, the Suffering of Palestinian Women Continues,
http://pchrgaza.ps/files/PressR/English/2008/25-2008.html

On Wednesday 20th February 2008 at 11pm, the Israeli army invaded the village of Beita, located 13km south-east of Nablus. The village of 10,000 residents was woken by the shooting of sound bombs, tear gas, live ammunition and rubber bullets, and the repeated announcement that a curfew was imposed – forcing residents to stay in their homes under threat of arrest. The curfew lasted until 3pm on Thursday 21st, prohibiting the function of schools and shops.

One youth, Hussein Sabri Hamdan, aged 18 years, was shot in the shoulder with a rubber bullet at 11am on Thursday, as he was heading into the mosque to pray. Hamdan reports that there were no soldiers on the street where he was shot, and only one bullet was shot, so he presumes it was the act of a sniper.

Villagers report that approximately 30 people were arrested during the invasion, and taken to the military base at Huwarra. Almost all were subsequently released without charge, but as of 4pm on Friday 22nd February, 8 residents of Beita still remain in Israeli custody. Arrestees report of being bound, blindfolded and beaten; and forced to sit for twelve hours outdoors in freezing water, whilst they were denied food, water and use of bathroom facilities. One arrestee, Fayez Jarwan, recounts some boys who were sick crying out to the soldiers imprisoning them, telling them of their conditions, but getting no response or medical care. He also advised Israeli soldiers were attempting to force some of the younger boys to become informers for the Israeli army.

Many houses in Beita were occupied by the invading army throughout the 16 hour incursion, with families reporting being forced out of their houses for hours; or of all being forced at gunpoint into one room, and being refused access to food, water and bathrooms – all illegal under Israeli and international law. Soldiers inflicted extensive damage to many of the occupied houses, ranging from bullet holes in windows and walls to broken sound systems and torn up furniture. One resident, Abu Ra’ed, revealed brand new furniture he had purchased for his son’s wedding present had been skewered and ripped apart by soldiers’ knives. Abu Ra’ed went on to show evidence of the use of tear gas within his home, as well as the scars of many bullets shot into his home – piercing windows, walls and his water boiler. Another family reported that the soldiers, in an act of petty vindictiveness, took all of the family’s supplies of sugar, salt, coffee, tea, oil and olives and mixed them together, throwing them on the ground in order to ruin them. This kind of behavior seems to have been widespread, with another family presenting a toddler’s bicycle, broken by soldiers, now useless, whilst in another house soldiers reportedly ripped up a Koran and stomped on it in front of the family.

Many residents also reported significant thefts taking place by the occupying soldiers, including jewelery, money and mobile phones. Soldiers also confiscated identification cards from one family which are yet to be returned.

Residents generally described the army occupations of their homes as being extremely traumatic experiences – though the violence of the soldiers varied widely. In one house a mother was forcefully prevented from being allowed to carry her one year old son, resulting in the infant falling over and suffering lacerations and extensive bleeding. The baby was then isolated from the rest of the family for three hours, without medical care, while he continued to bleed from his nose for the duration of the occupation. In another house, the entire family, including children, women and grandparents, was forced out into the night from 11pm until 3am – forced to keep still at gunpoint for the whole time, while the 23 year old son was arrested. Whilst in Abu Rami’s house, occupying soldiers utilized the house for sleeping, imprisoning the 9 residents in one room and refusing them access to food, water and bathroom facilities for many hours.

Soldiers are currently maintaining one checkpoint for residents entering and leaving the village, as the population counts the cost of the large-scale invasion.

On the 21st January 2008, over 200 people took to the streets of Nablus to demonstrate in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners currently held in Israeli prisons. Organised by the local municipality, Nadi al Aseer (prisoner support club made up of local community members including family and friends of prisoners), and the Tan-Weer centre for cultural enlightenment, the demonstrators called for the release of all political prisoners.

The protest began outside the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), where a statement condemning the treatment of Palestinian prisoners was delivered, along with a demand that the ICRC and wider international community fulfil their obligations in accordance with international law.

“From our solidarity stand with our imprisoned sons, we demand the international community to move rapidly to stop these crimes against, not only international law, but also humanity so as to oblige the Israeli occupation to abide by the regulations of the international law and the Fourth Geneva Charter.

We also demand the International Committee of the Red Cross to bear their human responsibilities and fulfill their moral, practical, ethical and legal commitments towards our prisoners inside the prisons.”

The ICRC has come under heavy criticism of late for its failure to carry out frequent visits to Israeli prisons in which Palestinians are being held and failure to deliver urgently needed supplies. This is despite the grave violations of prisoner rights taking place in these prisons which include prevention of family and lawyer visits, the systematic practice of torture, the deprivation of medication and premeditated attacks on prisoners which led to seven deaths in custody in 2007.

The demonstration then marched towards the centre of Nablus, where statements of solidarity with the population of Gaza were declared as Gaza entered its fourth day of Israeli enforced total lockdown.

On Monday night at 9pm, twelve Israeli jeeps stormed into the West Bank village of Qusin firing live ammunition, rubber bullets, tear gas and sound bombs. All men in the village between the ages of fifteen and forty were brought to the playground of the local school. The army took pictures of all the older men whilst interrogating the teenagers, looking for “wanted” children who had thrown stones at the armoured jeeps. At one point, a soldier held a knife to the throat of a twelve year old boy and threatened to kill him. After three hours the army arrested two sixteen year old boys, Hassan Fachri and Ali Nayef, releasing everybody else.

The two boys were handcuffed, blindfolded and taken to Keddemim police station, where they were tortured for seven hours before being released. They were held together in a small filthy cell, blindfolded and denied food and water. Hassan was denied access to the toilet facilities. Both were prevented from sleeping by soldiers who stood behind them cocking their guns, yelling death threats at them. The boys were badly beaten throughout the ordeal, receiving punches to the face and kicks from the soldiers. At 3am Hassan was thrown outside into the freezing rain for some time.

Ali signed legal papers under coercion. He believes that the papers are a contract not to throw stones, and that the penalty for breach is a five year jail term. However, Hassan signed similar papers in July 2007 after being arrested for attending a non-violent demonstration, and is now being penalised despite lack of breach. His father’s permission to work in Israel has now been confiscated and he has been fined 5,000 NIS.

During Hassan’s first arrest he also received severe treatment by the Israeli army. He was held for three days in Keddemim, and only given two meals throughout. His arms were tied behind his back while he was beaten to such a severe degree that he suffered head trauma and a dislocated elbow.

The boys were finally released at 7am Tuesday morning, warning Ali as he left that if he were to be caught throwing stones, the army would evict the 1,500 residents of Quisin from the village, closing the road from 9pm until the following morning. The army kept Hassan’s ID card and so far have not given it back. The army never returned his ID after his first arrest.