Tag: Ni’lin

One family’s experiences during the siege of Ni’lin

During the curfew in Nil’n the al-Khawaja family was among those who faced several difficulties and attacks from the Israeli army.

Saturday at 5.30 am Ali Nuzhhy al-Khawaja, 58 years old, and two other villagers were on their way to their work places outside Ni’lin. Israeli soldiers had hidden among the olive trees and started to yell at and run after the three men. While they grabbed and abused one of them, Saleh Abud Srur, 55 years, the others ran away to escape the soldier’s violence. Saleh was arrested and the Israeli soldiers tried to force him to give them information about the two other men. They men could not reach their jobs and Saleh is still under arrest. The morning after soldiers went inside the al-Khawaja family’s house.

Sunday afternoon at 4 pm Ali’s daughter’s family, including two small children, went to Ali and his family since they had ran out of food. They managed to reached the house. Soon after this Fanysia al-Khawaja saw Raed Nafee, 22 years, being hit by an Israeli bulldozer. He managed to get away and Fanysia called him inside the house. He had broken his hand and was in need of medical treatment. But since the Israeli army obstructed the medical relief teams work and stopped ambulances from entering and leaving the village, he had to wait four hours’. Driving inside Nil’n ambulances also had to be careful as they risked being shot at.

While they waited for the ambulance the army shot teargas into the house. There was eleven people in the house at the time and the two smallest children was badly affected by the gas since they are only two and six month old.

The family’s car was at the same time hit by a sound bomb which broke the front window and punctured one of the tires.

Statement from the Ni’lin Popular Committee Against the Apartheid Wall

8 July 2008 for immediate release

As of today, Tuesday 8th of July 2008, the military curfew in Ni’lin has been lifted. In response to statements released earlier today by an Israeli army spokeswoman claiming that “There were discussions between the villagers and the army commanders and they decided to lift the curfew,” and that “The villagers promised not to protest and to keep the village quiet” (Reuters 7/8/08), the Ni’lin Popular Committee Against the Apartheid Wall wants to clarify the following:

The Popular Committee, who is representing the Ni’lin municipality, political parties, institutions and organizations in Ni’lin, has not been in any discussions with any Israeli army commanders and has not made a promise to the Israeli army that there will be no more protests.

No such discussions have taken place with the village. The Popular Committee wants to stress that the people of Ni’lin village will not give up their right to defend their basic human, economic, and social rights and therefore will not relinquish their
right to protest against the confiscation of their land. The people of Ni’lin are also not willing to give up their right to stand up against the construction of a Wall that has been declared illegal by the International Court of Justice.

The village will not be quiet! The demonstrations organized in Ni’lin were always of a peaceful, nonviolent nature. Each time, the unarmed demonstrators were met with severe force and heavy violence from the side of the Israeli army (often before even reaching the construction site), injuring many Palestinian, international and Israeli participants, even attacking and injuring journalists and medical workers.

The Ni’lin Popular Committee would like to draw attention to the following facts regarding the disproportionate use of force by the Israeli army and Border Police since the beginning of the construction of the Wall (May 2008):

*160 people were injured by rubber coated steel bullets during the protests, including children

*Hundreds of non-violent protesters were brutally beaten by the Israeli army during the protests

*26 people were arrested

*A Palestinian Medical Relief Society ambulance was shot at. The driver counted 18 bullet marks on the outside of the van and two of the ambulance windows were shattered, with several bullets found inside the van

*Many people in the protests suffered severe respiratory problems due to the heavy use of tear gas

*Tear gas canisters were shot directly into the crowds, aiming at people and injuring dozens

*The Israeli army started using a new tear gas machine, shooting 30 tear gas canisters at the same time

*The Israeli army used live ammunition on several occasions

*There were numerous incidents where the Israeli army invaded the village in the middle of the night after a protest, shooting tear gas and rubber coated steal bullets at and into homes where families were sleeping, and also arresting several people during these military incursions into the village

The curfew imposed on Friday 4th of July 2008 was yet another measure in line with the severely disproportionate tactics that the Israeli army is using to slam down the protests and silence the people of Ni’lin, who are merely trying to defend their land and lives through nonviolent measures. The Ni’lin Popular Committee against the Apartheid Wall strongly condemns these aggressive and unprovoked Israeli military policies that have been declared illegal under international law. The Popular Committee specifically condemns the recent curfew and siege on Ni’lin, which caused excessive damage and severe injuries in a village that is already being strangled due to the construction of the Wall.

The Ni’lin Popular Committee draws your attention to the casualties and damages caused by the 4-day curfew and siege on Ni’lin:

*The Israeli army injured more than 50 villagers with rubber coated-steal bullets, three of them were seriously injured by live
ammunition. They are currently undergoing treatment in different hospitals in Ramallah

*Hundreds of people suffered from respiratory problems due to teargas inhalation. Teargas was shot at and into the houses. Villagers, who went on their rooftops or gardens in order to try to communicate with family and neighbors, were immediately attacked with tear gas and rubber coated steal bullets. Even standing too close to the window meant risking being shot at. The firing of teargas and rubber coated steal bullets at the windows has caused irreconcilable damage to the houses in Ni’lin

*During the first three days of the siege ambulances were not allowed access into the village, the injured remained untreated
The body of a deceased villager was kept for four hours at the entrance of Ni’lin before they let the remains into the village for burial

*A woman in labor was not allowed to leave the village and was forced to deliver the baby at home

*A twelve year old boy was kidnapped from his home by the Israeli army, who kept him hostage for 2 days.

*The army invaded approximately 20 houses, breaking personal property in the house and beating women, children and men

*The army used bulldozers to dig up newly paved roads, thereby wrecking parts of the municipal sewage system and destroying a large portion of the village’s infrastructure. In order to strategically control the whole area of the village, they entered the girls’ school, breaking the school’s windows and doors

*Shops and businesses were closed during the curfew and people could not get to work, depriving the people of Ni’lin from their much-needed income

*Three journalists were detained for several hours while trying to report on the situation of Ni’lin.

The Ni’lin people are calling for local, regional, and international support to sustain solidarity with the village. This support is very much needed. The Popular Committee would also like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who participated in the demonstrations and for all the efforts individuals have put into advocating for Ni’lin, contacting political representatives, and drawing worldwide media attention. We cannot express enough our feelings of deep gratitude for all of these efforts and the coming efforts too!

This Thursday, 10th of July 2008, a monumental protest is organized for the 4th anniversary of the ruling on the Wall of the International Court of Justice. The protest will start at 11 am in front of the municipality of Ni’lin. We will leave Ramallah at 9.30 am from the bus station behind Ziryab. Please confirm your attendance by contacting Hindi: 0599 83 98 43. He is also available for questions regarding the protest or for more information regarding the situation in Ni’lin.

For online information, please refer to the following links:
http://www.palestin emonitor. org/spip/ spip.php? article439 or
http://www.facebook .com/inbox/ #/group.php? gid=18853218651&ref=mf

Two Palestinians arrested, two internationals injured as groups attempt to break the siege on Ni’lin

Two Palestinian activists have been arrested and a Canadian activist has been shot in the leg by a rubber-coated steel bullet while attempting to take in food and other supplies to the West Bank village of Ni’lin, which has been holding constant non-violent demonstrations against the Israeli annexation barrier for the last two months.

In a separate attempt in the evening a large group of Palestinian residents of Budrus, together with international and Israeli solidarity activists, were opened fire on as they were bringing supplies into Ni’lin. One Palestinian was hit twice by rubber-coated steel bullets and one Swedish activist was hit by a tear-gas cannister fired at the group.

Basel Mansour, a member of Bi’lin Popular Committee and Ashraf Abo Rahma were arrested at the Ni’lin village entrance this morning as they attempted to enter the besieged village together with international solidarity activists. Israeli forces repeatedly attacked the group, forcing them back. One international solidarity activist from Canada was shot by a rubber-coated steel bullet as he attempted to put out a fire started on village land by an Israeli tear-gas cannister.

Efforts to enter Ni’lin with much needed supplies will continue tomorrow if the siege has not been lifted.


Photos by Activestills and the ISM

Three Palestinians shot with live ammunition, three arrested and many injured as siege of Ni’lin continues for 4th day

As the Israeli blockade and imposition of curfew in Ni’lin nears the end of its fourth day (7th July), the violence continued as the Israeli army has escalated its force by completely surrounding the village and is maintaining a constant presence on the streets inside. The blockade, intended to prevent Ni’lin’s demonstrations against the apartheid wall, comes as the four year anniversary of the International Court of Justice declaring the Israeli barrier illegal approaches on Wednesday.

At least three residents of Ni’lin have been seriously injured with live ammunition as the villagers came out again to demonstrate against the closure of the village, while three Palestinians were arrested by Israeli border police earlier in the day. One of those shot is currently being operated on in a local hospital. Israeli soldiers have been firing tear-gas inside people’s houses, one while three children were inside. Again, ambulances have been prevented from getting in and out of Ni’lin by the Israeli blockade. All attempts by Palestinian, international and Israeli solidarity activists to enter the village carrying supplies have been met by violence from the Israeli army, with two internationals injured from a rubber-coated steel bullet and a tear-gas cannister respectively.

Eight international solidarity activists maintain a presence inside Ni’lin, documenting the blockade from the inside, while breaking curfew with the villagers of Ni’lin as they come out to protest. Border police raided the apartment where the internationals are staying, but failed to get them to vacate the village.

Witnesses have reported that the Israeli army is distributing leaflets informing residents that the curfew will end when the demonstrations cease. The siege is a form of collective punishment on the village as they uphold their resistance to the occupation through non-violent demonstrations. Since the start of the siege on Friday, violence on the locals, on the Internationals, and on the Palestinians from neighboring villages (that are in or have tried to enter Ni’lin) has continued to intensify.

The growing use of force over the past four days is a collective punishment for the village’s history of continuing to organize non-violent demonstrations. As the army continues to maintain a chokehold over the village, essential medical and food resources are waning.

This siege by the Israeli army to prevent non-violent protests against the apartheid wall come exactly four years since the International Court of Justice declared the Israeli barrier illegal. The village of Ni’lin is about to lose approximately 2500 donums when the construction of the apartheid wall is finished. From having over 57 000 donums in 1948, the village has seen its land decrease to 33 000 donums in 1967 to about 10 000 donums at the present time. The villagers fear that the next annexation will be the death blow to the village’s economy.

Day three of the siege of Ni’lin

After yesterday’s turbulence, the Israeli army drew into the village of Ni’lin at around 2am this morning, the 6th of July. They threw sound-bombs, shot rubber-coated steel bullets in the air and pointed searchlights into the windows while snipers took position. At about 5am they declared a curfew through mega-phones and made a lot of noise up to about 7am.

All the roads into and out from the village were closed during the day so no one could go to their work, resources could not pass through and reporters, as well as civilians in need of hospital treatment were stopped by the Israeli blockades. Palestinian medical relief was denied entrance to the village.

During the day some villagers defied the ban to go out and were walking on the streets. They were then shot at with teargas, rubber-bullets and sound-bombs. People standing on their roofs were also shot at, with one man hit by a rubber-coated steel bullets while refusing to go inside his house. The army also damaged this man’s house and abused his 65 year old mother, according to witnesses.

The army was also driving through the village from time to time while throwing sound-bombs, shooting tear-gas grenades, rubber-bullets and sometimes shouting on the mega-phone. 25 people were injured. Five houses were invaded by the army. 25 houses were targeted with teargas.

The medical team from the Red Crescent attempted to negotiate with the soldiers during the day, trying to get people out from the village, but they were denied each time. The twentieth time they tried to access the village the soldiers said they would shoot them if they attempted again.

The army left the village at about 8pm in the evening. People then ran out on the streets to get food and other supplies, though there is not enough in the village because of the roadblocks. The roads to the village are still closed and the army has said they might be for the next nine days.

At 11am as a group of Palestinians and internationals attempted to enter the village in a show of solidarity, an old Palestinian man was detained, but later released. Border police violently assaulted the group as they protested at the main entrance to the village, grabbing one activist by the throat and ripping clothes.