Tag: Nablus

During the week of October 20th, ISM volunteers worked with farmers to harvest olives in Qusin, a small village on the outskirts of the Palestinian city of Nablus in the central Northern region of the West Bank. Nablus had recently experienced an invasion by the Israeli occupation forces. During this invasion, there were a number of innocent Palestinian civilian casualties including a 70 year old man who was killed, a 7 year old girl was shot in the back with live ammunition but fortunately survived and a reporter was shot in the back 4 times by the Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) with plastic coated steel bullets, also surviving.

The village of Qusin had experienced IOF incursions as well. The village had staged a peaceful demonstration whereby the villagers of Qusin and international volunteers had marched from Qusin to Sarra, a nearby sister town to protest the erecting of a gate on the main road between the two villages that remained permanently closed. Shortly afterwards, in response to the demonstration, during the night of September 21, the Israeli army invaded Qusin. They invaded again on the night of September 23. Palestinian youths were taken away by the IOF–no information as to their whereabouts was given. They were detained for a day or two, and “beaten like donkeys” as one of the youths described their treatment.

Due to the ongoing harassement by the IOF, internationals were requested to assist with the olive harvest in Qusin in an attempt to reduce the possibility of conflict. When we arrived at the site of the olive trees to be harvested, it was pointed out to us that an Israeli chemical factory had recently been built adjacent to the Qusin olive groves. Detrimental to the Qusin farmers was not only the fact that the factory had been situated right next to their olive trees, but also that they are often no longer permitted access to harvest their trees due to Israeli “security issues” concerning the factory.

The factory was too toxic to be allowed to built in Israel proper, and was only operated at night. In the village of Qusin, the smell of the factory’s toxic fumes was very tangible. Its effect on the olive trees was noticeable as well. We were shown black spots on the olive leaves that had been caused by the factory emmissions. We wondered how long the olive trees would last and what kind of effect the factory fumes would have on the Qusin inhabitants themselves. Clearly, the factory had deliberately been placed by the Israelis as a means of forcing the Palestinians from their lands.

Fortunately, there were no incidents with the IOF during the time we were there assisting with the harvest. We had the feeling that due to our presence, the Qusin palestinians felt more secure in harvesting the olives that were accessible to them. The army had stayed away and, for the most part, the Qusin olives were harvested.

The village of Sarra lies west of Nablus, near the villages of Tel, Jit, and Qusin. From Nablus to Sarra it would be a less than 10 minute drive were it not that the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have designated the road “a closed military zone.” As a consequence, villagers must take a circuitous route, via Tel, along winding mountain roads, adding to the trip a 35-40 minute detour.

At the end of August, 2007, villagers came together with Israeli and international activists to remove the concrete blocks which bar entry onto the closed military road, a road which aside from being so-designated is a Palestinian road. The successful removal of the blocks was promptly followed by their replacement, with an additional barrier of earth piled on top.

Sarra has long been a village collectively terrorized for a few reasons: its proximity to the road, one which is a main back entrance to Nablus when the IOF invades; its proximity to the illegal Israeli settlement of Qedumim and the military base neighbouring it; and recently, its defiance of IOF arbitrarily-imposed closed zones and harassment.

In the past three weeks, Sarra has near-nightly been invaded by the IOF, usually entering in the evening and harassing villagers. Between 6 and 8pm on October 18, two IOF military vehicles, with approximately 6 soldiers each, entered via a dirt road leading from the militarily-closed road. Soldiers drove up and down village roads, chasing children and adults.

Israeli soldiers overturned a pan of hot frying oil on one restaurant owner, who was just barely able to jump backwards enough so that the oil burned his legs rather than his face and entire body. Another shop-owner reports soldiers entering and stealing candy and cola. A Masters student from Najah University was chased along a street by soldiers throwing rocks. IOF soldiers also attacked and pushed a 10 year old boy to the ground.

Israeli soldiers shot at the water pipes of one house, leaving sizeable marks in the concrete from at least two bullets.

During this time, the IOF did not call a curfew, did not announce any official military order to return to houses, but did maintain a two hour campaign of bullying villagers.

Two weeks prior, in another IOF harassment invasion, soldiers without reason shot at one villager’s car, deflating the tires, riddling the car body with bullet marks, and shattering the windshield.

Three weeks ago, IOF soldiers entered the village throwing sound bombs and tear gas at residents.

This is a village surrounded by olive groves and agricultural land, much of which is inaccessible due to Israeli military orders and closed military zones. The District Coordinating Office (DCO) this year gave permission for only 3 days of olive harvesting on lands cut off from villagers for a task which should take nearly 2 weeks. Villagers tending trees and farmland alongside the militarily-closed road leading to Nablus are routinely interrupted and harassed by passing IOF soldiers, who threaten villagers and order them off of their land.

Jit village lies approximate 2 km away from Sarra but might as well be 30 km away. Rather than being permitted to travel the militarily-closed road, or even the Palestinian land alongside the road, Sarra residents must travel back to Nablus, through Beit Iba checkpoint, and return back in the direction they have come from along a parallel road, a detour which amounts to an hour’s detour.

Jit, in addition to sitting across from the illegal settlement, Qedumim, lies at the road leading both to Ramallah and Tulkarem, an additional reason banned access to the road is a painful reality for Palestinians in the region.

Early Tuesday morning on Oct 16th, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Two Palestinians, a resistance fighter in the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, and a 70 year old man, were killed during the raid which also left several people severely injured, including one woman who was shot in the back inside her own home and is now in a critical state in Ratadia hospital. The photojournalist Alaa Badarna was also shot four times in the back with rubber bullets whilst attempting to film the incursion.

The incursion began at approximately 1.30am as the IOF moved into the streets of Ras Alain and Keshekeh, in a neighborhood west of the old city. The army occupied several houses and military jeeps blocked off streets to traffic in numerous places.

Human Rights Workers (HRWs) arrived at approximately 8am to find a group of children around the age of six trapped inside their school, terrified to move. Their teachers tried to negotiate their passage to safety past an IOF Jeep, but the soldiers initially denied them permission to move the children. With the help of Palestinian medical volunteers and HRWs the children were eventually moved outside the conflict zone and were driven away to safety.

By 11am the IOF were occupying two more properties and had installed a sniper on the roof of one. Medical teams were denied access to sick residents inside the buildings but were later allowed to take people inside to hospital, and to bring in supplies. The IOF consolidated their position and stayed until the early evening, firing sporadically.

Tear gas and sound bombs were used throughout the day by the IOF, and also Israeli police, who fired gas canisters and a sound bomb into a group of medics and HRWs. Two of the ambulance crews on the scene reported two women and two youths who had been shot at with tear gas.

The raid concluded early this evening after the IOF arrested a number of residents.

16/10/2007

Villagers from Tel, southwest of Nablus city, had been harvesting their olives in the countryside just outside the village, for about one hour when settlers were spotted on the ridge of the hill overlooking the slope where villagers were at work.

One Palestinian man received an injury to the head from the rocks being slung by the settlers. He later reported that rocks hit him twice in the head, as well as once in the body.

Four international Human Rights Workers (HRWs) working alongside the farmers heard other harvesters’ calls and ran up the hill to join them.

HRWs observed the settlers throwing and slinging large stones in the direction of the Palestinians. Approaching the settlers, HRWs attempted to talk with them but were met with stones.

The settlers, at least six between the ages of 15-18, hesitated only briefly after seeing the internationals but soon continued slinging stones and additionally calling out “you Nazi” to the internationals.

The settlers wore scarves wrapped around their heads and covering their faces.

In the ensuing 30 minutes of the attack, the settlers continued slinging rocks, approaching the Palestinians and internationals and at various times trying to take or break the internationals’ cameras, realizing that they were being filmed.

While the throwing of rocks sounds somewhat harmless, the rocks being thrown and slung by the settlers were sizeable.

In response to an HRW that one such rock slung at such close distance would kill somebody, the settler replied: “Yes, I know.” One international HRW took numerous hits from stones and sticks wielded by the settlers, at close range.

Rabbis for Human Rights appeared, quick to assist, and call for medical help. They additionally assured that they would be present with Palestinians in their harvest in the coming days.

The area suffered settler attacks one month prior, when 60 dunums of villagers’ olive groves were burned and destroyed by settlers. Also one shepherd from the area at this time was beaten severely by settlers and had his life threatened with a knife, afterwards they stole his sheep. Every year proves challenging, throughout the West Bank, for Palestinians who wish to access and harvest their olive trees.