Tag: Open Shuhada Street 2016

On the 1st of March, join our day of action to #EndHebronMilitaryZone

February 29th, 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil team | al-Khalil, occupied Palestine

It has now been four months since the Israeli military declared part of Hebron a “closed military zone” in which Palestinian residents are no longer free to move, even to reach their homes. For the last four months, Palestinians and internationals have been acting and protesting this arbitrary decision. Seeing no response from the Israeli authorities, we decided to declare the 1st of March a day of action to keep pressuring the Israeli authorities to put an end to the closed military zone in Hebron. Tomorrow is a day in which everyone, around the world, will be able to do something to act for the city of Hebron. Tomorrow, use social media to spread the word and share what you know about the situation there. Take five minutes or more to tweet, post on Facebook or on your blog, write to media outlets in your country, write to your representatives and demand that the international community pressure Israeli authorities to .

Join our social media event on Facebook to get all the information you will need, and invite your friends and contacts! Here are more directions to follow to get involved in the social media storm:

You can use some of these sample tweets, or be creative and use some of your own (feel free to translate into your own language)

In #Hebron since November Palestinian residents have to register with the army or risk being barred from their homes #EndHebronMilitaryZone

Palestinians have to register with army or risk being barred from their homes #EndHebronMilitaryZone

Since the beginning of October over 200 Palestinians have been shot and left to bleed to death without medical aid #EndHebronMilitaryZone

Since the start of October 180+ Palestinians were shot & left to bleed to death without medical aid #EndHebronMilitaryZone

4 months of life under severe restrictions for Palestinian families in Tel Rumeida #EndHebronMilitaryZone

Palestinian families in Tel Rumeida have lived under severe restrictions for 4 months #EndHebronMilitaryZone

4 months under unjustified regime of collective punishment for Palestinian families #EndHebronMilitaryZone

#IsraeliForces in #Hebron are targeting activists to silence the truth and stop it from reaching the whole world #EndHebronMilitaryZone

#Hebron activists targeted to stop the truth from reaching the world #EndHebronMilitaryZone

Amnesty International referred to killings in #Hebron since October as “unlawful,” “extrajudicial executions” #EndHebronMilitaryZone

#IsraeliForces & settlers are making life for Palestinians intolerable to try and force them to leave their homes #EndHebronMilitaryZone

#EndHebronMilitaryZone which targets human rights defenders while leaving illegal Israeli settlements unrestricted

#IsraeliForces are targeting activists to stop the truth from reaching the whole world #EndHebronMilitaryZone

4 months too long of illegal collective punishment; demand that #Israel #EndHebronMilitaryZone & respect human rights

Palestinians continue to face unjustified and arbitrary restrictions #EndHebronMilitaryZone

Please link your tweets to:

Our Action Alert, to encourage organisations acting for Palestine to sign it: bit.ly/1QD8p8e

Our call for action to encourage everyone in your social media circle to take five minutes to take an action that will help this campaign reach its goal: bit.ly/1QD8wR4

The petition to #OpenShuhadaSt : http://bit.ly/21wltTi

Or to any of these articles that will help people understand the situation in Hebron:

‘Children living in closed military zone enjoy day of fun’: http://bit.ly/1LqoM7n

‘Peaceful painting activity met with violence by Israeli army’: http://bit.ly/1TMIfl7

‘Ongoing sit-in protest on Shuhaha Street checkpoint’: http://bit.ly/1WSbVLH

’22 years after the Ibrahimi mosque massacre, people still suffer consequences’: http://bit.ly/1nbQObg

‘Demonstrators protest closed military zone under threat of Israeli violence’: http://bit.ly/1LPUlSM

We will also be posting more photos and graphics on Facebook that you can add to tweets

You can also use links to the following videos, or use some that you find yourself

Israeli military use stun grenades on young Palestinian school kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsV9i3Lt7fo

Israeli forces threaten Palestinians at gunpoint: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP5VZGH8lk4

Palestinian woman gunned down in occupied Hebron: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhLBYENRrKA

Israeli forces harass Palestinians after Friday prayer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYfgBd2as6c

Willful killing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JypHkx4KHmM

You can write to your representatives using this sample text

Since the 1st of November 2015, the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Hebron, Palestine, has been declared a “closed military zone.” The zone was specifically designed to include Palestinian neighborhoods while excluding adjacent illegal Israeli settlements. Palestinian residents were forced to register with the Israeli military or else risk being barred from their own homes, while Israeli settlers are free to roam the streets without being stopped. Any Palestinians not registered as residents, international human rights defenders and media are all barred from the area. These restrictions of movement constitute collective punishment, considered illegal under international law.

In the city of Hebron, Palestinian and international human rights defenders are constantly targeted by Israeli forces and settlers from the illegal settlements inside the city for their efforts to document the situation. Meanwhile since the beginning of October over 160 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers, many in incidents Amnesty International has said may amount to unlawful, extrajudicial executions.

As Abed Salaymeh, a Tel Rumeida resident directly impacted by the closed military zone explained, “soldiers and settlers are making life for the Palestinians intolerable to force them to leave their houses voluntarily. This is a crime under international law. They are targeting activists to silence the truth and stop the truth from reaching the whole world.”

We [or I] call on you to act now for the immediate ending of the closed military zone and the restriction of movements imposed on Palestinians in Hebron. It is time for the international community to take action and call on the Israeli government to comply with international law and especially with the Geneva Conventions in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel.

If you live in the EU, you can write to your representatives

Using this website (and the text above): http://freepalestine.eu/, write to your EU representatives to urge them to put an end to Human Rights violations in Hebron and more generally in Palestine until Israel complies with International law.

If you are tweeting, you can choose to address your tweets to several accounts. Here are some examples:

@EuropeUnion European Union

@FedericaMog Vice President of the EU Commission

@enricopetro Member of the Cabinet of EU HR/VP Federica Mogherini

@eu_eeas European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU’s Foreign & Security Policy Service

@StylianidesEU Christos Stylianides, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management

@Urmaspaet Urmas Paet, Member of European Parliament

@EP_ForeignAff AFET Committee Press European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs.

@EU_Commission European Commission

@monicafrassoni Monica Frassoni, Co-Chair of the European Green Party

@LaurentFabius Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development

@JHahnEU Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations

@EU_Commission European Commission

@UNRWA United Nations Relief and Works Agency, responsible for the welfare of Palestinian refugees

@UNHumanRights Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights

@UN

@UNOCHA

@JohnKerry US Secretary of State John Kerry

@StateDept US Department of State

If you live in the US, you can tweet your representatives/senators. This site lists them by postal code, and once you click on someone it provides a direct link to their twitter account

@hrw Human Rights Watch

@USCGJerusalem US Consulate in Jerusalem

@usembassyta US Embassy in Tel Aviv

@CanEmbIsrael Canadian Embassy to Israel

@AusAmbIsrael Australian Embassy Israel

@indemtel Indian Embassy Israel

@ukinisrael British Embassy Israel

@AmbTelAviv Italian Embassy

@martinoweiss Austrian Ambassador to in Israel

@MID_RF Russian Embassy

@SwedeninIL Swedish Embassy in Israel

@NLinIsrael Dutch Embassy in Tel Aviv

@MAECgob Spanish ministry of the exterior and international cooperation

@Minrel_Chile Chilean foreign ministry

Demonstrators call for end to unjust restrictions in Hebron 22 years after Ibrahimi mosque massacre

26th February 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On 26th February 2016, Palestinians in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) jointly commemorated the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre and protested against the closure of Shuhada Street and the illegal Israeli military occupation.

kids apartheid 2016 — Palestinian children display a sign against the apartheid regime

The peaceful demonstration, organised by the local activist group Youth Against Settlements as part of their Open Shuhada Street campaign, started marching from al-Nimrah mosque after the noon prayer towards the Ibrahimi Mosque. Palestinians, international supporters and journalists from local and international media walked through the streets of the city toward the Ibrahimi mosque, chanting against the illegal Israeli occupation, the illegal settlements and in support of prisoners under administrative detention being held by Israel without charge or trial.

open shuhada st 2016 march — Palestinians from across the West Bank and international activists marched together in solidarity to Open Shuhada Street

The demonstration was in commemoration of the 1994 Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, in which 29 Muslim worshipers were murdered by extremist Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein when he opened fire inside the mosque during a Ramadan Friday prayer, also injuring more than 120 people. In the aftermath of this heinous massacre, Israeli forces cracked down on Palestinian basic human rights and freedom of movement, closing shops in the once thriving Palestinian market in Shuhada Street and completely barring them from accessing this road that has been declared a sterile area. The Ibrahimi Mosque was divided into exclusively Jewish and exclusively Muslim areas for most of the year, with access to the mosque entirely controlled by Israeli forces.

israeli forces open shuhada — Israeli forces deploying against nonviolent demonstration in al-Khalil

Israeli Forces ambushed the peaceful march when they were about half way towards the Ibrahimi Mosque, using the roof of a Palestinian family home to throw stun grenades into the crowd of people peacefully making their way to the mosque. As the demonstrators rapidly tried to escape the stun grenades flying at them in from above above in quick succession, Israeli forces began shooting endless rounds of tear gas into the neighbourhood. They aimed mainly, though not only, above the heads of the protesters into the neighbourhood populated by Palestinian civilians not even involved in the march.

israeli forces open shuhada demo — Excessive amounts of tear gas used against peaceful protesters

soldiers tear gassed themselves! — Israeli forces even made themselves sick from inhaling the tear gas they employed excessively against protesters and nearby Palestinian homes

While Israeli forces showered the area in tear gas, the sound of ambulance sirens echoed through the streets. About a dozen people had to be taken to hospital by ambulance for excessive tear gas inhalation. “We were filming with an ambulance next to us and we could see the Israeli army target this ambulance, throwing stun grenades directly at it”, recalled James, an Australian activist.

Israeli forces arrested two Palestinians, one of them a lawyer, the other a journalist. The journalist was directly targeted by the army, that went up to a group of people, grabbed him and walked away with him while ignoring everyone else.

This 7th annual Open Shuhada Street protest comes after months of increasing violence, restrictions and collective punishment imposed by Israeli authorities on al-Khalil’s Palestinian residents. At the end of October Israeli forces began imposing a ‘closed military zone‘ on the short portion of Shuhada street where Palestinians were previously still allowed to walk, along with a large part of the adjacent Tel Rumeida neighbourhood. Palestinian residents and activist groups have been nonviolently resisting the closed military zone, which requires residents to register in order to be allowed into their homes and bars other Palestinian and human rights defenders from entry. The closed military zone, along with the widespread, deadly violence and closures deployed against Palestinians in al-Khalil, has also been broadly condemned by Palestinian and international human rights groups; on the February 25th anniversary of the Ibrahimi mosque massacre, Amnesty International released a public statement calling on Israeli authorities to “lift the discriminatory restrictions, end the collective punishment of Palestinians in the city and protect human rights defenders there.”

Wreath-laying in commemoration of Ibrahimi mosque massacre

25th February 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

25 February 2016 marks the 22^nd anniversary of the 1994 Ibrahimi Mosque massacre in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron). In commemoration of the Palestinians killed in this massacre, the Hebron Defense Committee (HDC) organised a wreath-laying at the martyrs cemetry.

Baruch Goldstein, an Israeli settler walked into the Ibrahimi mosque on 25^th February during the Ramadan noon-prayer and opened fire on the worshippers, executing 29 and injuring more than 120 Palestinians. In the direct aftermath of this massacre, Israeli forces started cracking down on Palestinian basic human rights, freedom of movement and freedom of worship. The Ibrahimi mosque was divided into two parts and a synagogue installed in one part with exclusive use for Israeli settlers from the illegal Israeli settlers in al-Khalil. The once bustling Palestinian market in Shuhada Street was closed for Palestinians, their shops forced to close and doors welded shut – and has now become known as ‘ghost town’.

In order to remember and commemorate the Palestinians killed in the massacre, the Hebron Defense Committee, representatives of the families of the martyrs of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, the governor of Hebron amongst others attended the wreath-laying at the martyrs cemetry in al-Khalil, where those killed by Israeli forces and settlers are laid for their last rest. In a speech, Hisham Sharabati, the coordinator of the HDC, stressed the importance of the ‘freedom of worship’ that is so often infringed on by the Israeli forces, and the duty to protect this freedom. As direct results of the heinous massacre committeed by Baruch Goldstein, Israeli forces imposed restrictions and closures on the whole Palestinian population – a collective punishment that is illegal under international law – in an attempt to force Palestinians out. According to Hisham Sharabati, thus it is even more important to remember and continue the struggle for their rights, under the motto ‘Dismantle the Ghetto, take the settlers out of Hebron‘ with the aim of ending the illegal Israeli occupation.

The representative of the families of those murdered in the Ibrahimi mosque massacre asked for more attention for the victims families. Whereas the grave of Baruch Goldstein in the biggest illegal settlement right on the outskirts of occupied al-Khalil, Kiryat Arba, has become a shrine that is worshipped by settlers not only from al-Khalil but throughout the occupied West Bank and Israel; while the families of the Palestinian victims are asking for more attention. Instead, they are suffering from the Israeli forces violence, harassment and closures that are violently enforced on the whole Palestinian population in al-Khalil.

Aggressive settler interrupts nonviolent commemorative event hosted by Youth Against Settlements

24nd February 2016 | Youth Against Settlements | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Notorious settler Anat Cohen interrupted a peaceful movie screening, which was hosted by Youth Against Settlements to commemorate the victims of the Ibrahimi Mosque Massacre in 1994.

12596062_930292280358953_36423822_n — Palestinians gather around fire near checkpoint by Ibrahimi mosque, lighting candles

Every night, Palestinians gather around a bonfire in the Salaymeh neighborhood of occupied Hebron to keep watch in case of settler attacks. Today, as part of the Open Shuhada Street campaign, 50-60 people had come here to light candles in memory of each of the 33 victims of the massacre and its immediate consequences, followed by a documentary titled “Hebron Under the Microscope.”

12788033_930292290358952_1751592501_n — Candles lit in commemoration of the victims of the Ibrahimi mosque massacre

29 Palestinians were murdered inside the Ibrahimi Mosque on the 25th of February, 1994, when Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein entered and opened fire at the Muslim worshipers inside. Four Palestinians were killed on the same day in the clashes that broke out around the Mosque in response to the massacre. In the aftermath, the mosque (also known as the Tomb of the Patriarchs) was divided in two, with the larger part turned into a synagogue while heavy scrutiny was imposed on the Palestinians and areas closed completely to them, including an important market and the main street, Shuhada street. In protest of these closures, Youth Against Settlements organizes events around the anniversary of the massacre as part of their Open Shuhada Street campaign, held annually in Hebron and worldwide since 2010.

12767781_930292277025620_985790354_n — Palestinians gathering for the Open Shuhada Street event

During the screening of the documentary, three Palestinians were detained by the army for no apparent reason across the street along with a ten-year-old girl. The coordinator of Youth Against Settlements, Issa Amro, was also detained when trying to reason with the soldiers.

detained girl and men — Israeli forces arbitrarily detained 3 young men and a 10-year-old girl

Then the notoriously aggressive settler Anat Cohen slowed down her car next to a group of Palestinians and hit those who could not escape fast enough. She made a u-turn and left her car to yell at and intimidate the Palestinians gathered in the street. She filmed and verbally and physically attacked Palestinians and internationals while soldiers stood by and did not intervene. Instead of stopping her unprovoked aggressions, they began loudly pushing back the Palestinians, restricting them to certain parts of the street and preventing them from documenting.

pushing palestinians away — Soldiers forcing Palestinians back

Heavy arguments broke out. A man fainted and had to be taken to hospital by ambulance when he witnessed a soldier hit his wife with a gun. The army repeatedly pushed back Palestinians using excessive force. Eventually, Anat Cohen left without facing any consequences for her violent assaults and harassment, witnessed by the army and civil police.

Wael Fakhouri, a resident of the neighborhood: “We work hard to protect ourselves from settler violence.”

Contact: Issa Amro 059 934 0549 issaamro@gmail.com

Youth Against Settlements holds press conference in front of Shuhada Street checkpoint to announce 2016 Open Shuhada Street campaign

20th February 2016 | Youth Against Settlements | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Youth Against Settlements held a press conference in front of the Shuhada Street checkpoint to announce the beginning of the Open Shuhada Street Campaign. Over a hundred people attended. Palestinian TV, AL-Quds TV, and other local and international media organizations were present. Youth Against Settlements welcomed everyone from Palestine and abroad to take part in the annual Open Shuhada Street events and demonstrations between 21 February – 26 February.

Youth Against Settlement in front of Shuhada checkpoint

Shuhada Street has been closed almost entirely to Palestinians since the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre in 1994, when Brooklyn born Jewish settler, Baruch Goldstein, opened fire in the Ibrahimi mosque, murdering 29 worshipers and injuring 125. In 1997, Hebron was divided into zones H1 and H2, with H1 being under control of the Palestinian authority and H2 being under full Israeli military control. Since 2010, Youth Against Settlements has held annual events in commemoration of the massacre and to highlight human rights violations against Palestinians.

Since late October 2015, Hebron residents have seen increasing restrictions. On 30 October, Shuhada Street and parts of the Tel Rumeida neighborhood were declared closed military zones. Subsequently, the Israeli military extended the closed military zone orders to include the Youth Against Settlement center. Under the closed military zone orders, no guests, journalists, human rights observers, doctors, or home repair professionals may enter the area.

Issa Amro: “The Israeli occupation forces have maintained an apartheid regime in Hebron since the Ibrahimi mosque massacre in 1994. These days there are even more restrictions on Palestinians than ever to make it as hard as possible for Palestinians to stay and remain in their homes. We organize the Open Shuhada Street campaign to increase awareness about what is happening in Hebron and to make the world react against the occupation. The campaign aims to show the world who Palestinians are and not allow Israel to dictate to the media an image of Palestinians as violent people. As Palestinians, we are looking for justice, freedom, and equality, nothing more than that.”

Memorial for Hadeel al-Hashlamoun, gunned down by Israeli forces at Shuhada checkpoint on 22nd September 2015

Issa Amro, coordinator and founder of Youth Against Settlements, spoke about the closed military zones, the long lasting effects of the Ibrahimi Mosque Massacre, the apartheid system of separation in Hebron, and how the occupation targets Palestinians by expelling them from their homes and businesses. Salah Hashlamoun, father of Hadil Hashlamoun, spoke about his daughter, her unlawful killing by the Israeli soldiers, and how it has impacted the life of his family. He called the killing of Palestinians a war crime, and encouraged continued resistance to the Israeli occupation. Abdul-Moneem Zahda, the representative for the families of the victims of the Ibrahimi Mosque Massacre, outlined what had happened at the massacre, he talked about Baruch Goldstein killing 29 people as they prayed during Ramadan in 1994. He stated that the goal of the massacre was to judaize the heart of the city of Hebron. Mufeed Sharabati, a resident of Shuhada Street, spoke about the families of the street continuing their resistance against Israeli forces and remaining in their homes. Palestinian activists, Fareed Al-Atrash received a plaque to commemorate his work as a leader in the peaceful struggle against the Israeli occupation.

During the press conference, the Israeli army called the Palestinian Department of Civil Administration to request a stop to the event and removal of the sit-in tent. Youth Against Settlements erected the tent on 7 January in response to the closed military zones. Army drones were hovering above as the protesters refused to adhere to the army’s demands.

Mufeed Sharabati, a resident of Shuhada Street: “We will continue our resistance. We refuse to leave our homes. The families here are in the front line of the conflict.”

Many countries including, Italy, Denmark, Germany, France, Switzerland, Brazil, UK, and US, are joining the Open Shuhada Street campaign. Beginning in Italy on 14 February, international events and actions have included lectures, presentations, role-plays, film screenings, social media campaigns, and petitions. Youth Against Settlements activist, Murad Amro, traveled to Germany to give a presentation for the German Open Shuhada Street campaign. There, Murad met with the German Foreign Minister to request protection for Palestinian activists and demand an end to the closed military zones.

The Open Shuhada Street campaign continues through 26 February, when it will culminate with a mass demonstration. The upcoming week-long events for the Open Shuhada Street campaign in Hebron will include exhibitions, movie screenings, demonstrations, and cultural events. The schedule is as follows:

Satuday 20 February 11:00 AM press conference and memorial for Hadeel Hadshlom – Shuhada Street Entrance

Sunday 21 February 11:00 AM photo exhibition and painting – Shuhada Street Entrance

Monday 22 February all day photo exhibition – Shuhada Street Entrance

Monday 22 February 5:00 PM film screening Settlers on the Roof – YAS center, Tel Rumeida

Tuesday 23 February 4:00 PM cultural event – Shuhada Street Entrance

Wednesday 24 February 11:00 AM candle lighting and film screening – Alsalayhah neighborhood

Thursday 25 February 11:00 AM Ibrahimi mosque massacre memorial ceremony – Shuhada Street Entrance

Friday 26 February 11:00 AM Demonstration to open Shuhada Street – Nemreh mosque

Contact: Issa Amro 059 934 0549 issaamro@gmail.com