Tag: night raids

Closure of Kifl Hares following several night raids and arrests

19th September 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team| Kifl Hares, Occupied Palestine

“They punish us in all the ways they can”

The last two weeks, 17 boys and men aged 16-25 have been arrested during night raids in the village of Kifl Hares. Since a week ago, the Israeli military have also closed off the main entrance to the village, which is located south west of Nablus in a hot spot next to the illegal settlement of Ariel. The villagers now have to go through the surrounding villages in order to get out, which leads to an increase of 20 minutes to their daily commute.

(The closed gate to Kifl Hares leading to the main road is guarded by Israeli military.)

Some  nights, the raids happened during some of the Jewish holidays. The settlers made a circle in the village square, dancing, guarded by soldiers placed on the roofs of the Palestinian homes around the square. ISM met the father of two of the young men who have been arrested. The home of the family has been raided six times in the last two weeks.

The first night raid, the father asked the soldiers what they were looking for, and after searching the entire house they replied: “We are just checking if you are OK.” The night raids have been following the main pattern of conduct: the military storms the village and closes it off, enters family homes, forces the families to get up where they then lock them in one room, whilst they destroy the family’s belongings in their search.

The second raid, the Israeli forces woke the village and the family up at 2 am to give them a document with a call for a court hearing. The third time,  the Israeli soldiers forced two of the sons to the Ariel police station, detained them there for two hours, and then released them. The fourth raid,  the military searched the house violently again. The fifth time they arrested a 19 year old son and the sixth time, the 22-year old son. The sons endured days of questioning, and after a rubber stamp in Salem court, they were then taken to Meggido, awaiting another trial in Salem court. The family only managed to see their sons briefly in the court hearing. In 2013 their older son was also kept in military detention for 16 months.

The father told ISM that he asked the commander of the military raiding their home why they come in the middle of the night. The commander replied: “I choose when I want to come”. The commander then threatened the father to steal the family’s land, to revoke his potential work permit and confiscate his car if he would protest more. “They punish us in all ways they can”, the father told ISM.

He told us his wife started screaming when the soldiers entered her bedroom, and the military then questioned why she was screaming. When the father emphasised the horror of the situation,the soldier said: “I have the right to do what I want. If you protest I will have your house demolished.” The soldiers also pulled their 85-year old grandmother up from her mattress in order to check her room.

Several families in Kifl Hares have suffered from similar horrific experiences during the last two weeks. Several villages around the occupied West Bank have also been raided during the night, and the villagers have seen their sons and neighbours being arrested by the Israeli forces. What are these Palestinians being punished for? The father answered: “For being Palestinian.”

 

Continued night raids and arrests in Kafr Addik

24 January 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Tulkarm Team | Kafr Addik, occupied Palestine

In the middle of the night on the 20th of January, the Israeli army entered the village of Kafr Addik, raided a family home and arrested a young man, Saleh Hemedan. The arrest is the latest of several arrests in the village.

addikwm1
The family’s front door. Photo credit: ISM

The Hemedan family was sleeping in their home when Israeli soldiers quietly surrounded their house Tuesday night. Noone knew what was going on outside until armed Israeli soldiers bashed through the front door and entered. The soldiers started to interrogate Saleh and his two brothers while they were forced to sit in an uncomfortable position. After two hours of asking questions the soldiers handcuffed and blindfolded Saleh. They also kicked in the door to the women’s bedroom, where Saleh’s mother and sister were kept during the interrogation of the Hemedan brothers. When the soldiers left, they took Saleh with them without telling the family why and where they were taking him. They left a shattered and frightened family behind, with two broken doors and a filthy house. The mother wasn’t allowed to speak to Saleh during the time of the arrest and wasn’t allowed to say goodbye.

addikwm2
Saleh’s mother, Um Mohammed. Photo credit: ISM

“Nobody can understand what went through my mind when they took Saleh away” she says.  

Two days before Saleh’s arrest, in the early morning of the 18th, the Israeli military arrested another member of the family, Tareq Hemedan, during house raids in the same neighbourhood. Israeli soldiers first entered the house of Tareq’s uncle. After destroying the door, frightening family members and hitting the uncle’s head, the soldiers continued into Tareq’s home. 30 soldiers stormed the house destroying furniture and doors and arresting Tareq, just two hours into his 20th birthday. 

He was taken to Beit Tatikva prison in Tel Aviv outside of the occupied West Bank, which is illegal according to international law. The reason for the arrest and the amount of time he will stay in prison is unknown.

addikwm3
Destroyed furniture from Tareq’s house. Photo credit: ISM
addikwm4
Tareq’s mother and sisters in front of cabinet destroyed be soldiers. Photo credit: ISM

These arrests of the Hemedan family aren’t the only ones. During the previous week a 17-year-old boy was arrested and a 13-year-old boy was detained. A villager says that the increased number of arrests is a form of collective punishment due to a recent attack on Israeli security guards in the nearby industrial zone of the illegal Ariel settlement. 

Kafr Addik has lost land to expanding illegal settlements like many other villages in the Westbank. As reported previously, Palestinians from the village and the nearby area often demonstrate to protect the last hill that is not yet occupied by a settlement. 

Palestinians in the area also suffer from the pollution caused by the factories in the Israeli industrial zones. Since the economical situation is so bad, Palestinians have no other choice but to work on the illegal industrial zones in order to make a living, even though the working conditions are bad and they will always be paid less than an Israeli worker would be payed inside Israel. 

In the past the village was already bothered by settlers, who entered Kafr Addik on purpose to destroy the Palestinians’ property. The latest arrests are yet another among the number of threats that the village is facing due to the illegal occupation.