7th March 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, al Khalil team | Occupied Palestine
International Women’s Day kicked off today outside Youth Qalandia Club with Palestinian women, men and Internationals marching together to the gates of infamous Qalandia checkpoint in protest of the ceaseless Israeli military occupation and basic human rights.
Half way through the march, tear gas was fired into the crowd of peaceful protesters causing many to suffer from tear gas asphyxiation and seek refuge in nearby ambulances administering treatment.
The protesters continued marching to the checkpoint gates where they were met with several soldiers and border police who began throwing stun grenades and tear gas indiscriminately into the crowd. At one point, a tear gas canister was fired and broke the windshield of a nearby truck sitting in traffic causing the driver to flee the vehicle as it filled with tear gas and eventually caught fire. Palestinians rushed to the vehicle with fire extinguishers and doused the flames as the protest came to a dramatic end. Luckily no one was seriously hurt or arrested.
Today’s event was organized by the General Union of Palestinian Women, an organization with the end goal of raising the status of women in Palestine through increasing female participation in social, economic, and political life.
International Women’s Day is peacefully celebrated in many countries and surely not met with the same violent military response as here in the occupied West Bank. Strong women showed up today in solidarity against an oppressive Israeli regime where men are usually the face of the Palestinian nonviolent resistance. We honor the women that came out today and the women resisting from their homes.
6th July 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | Qalandia, occupied Palestine
Israeli authorities have decided to demolish four buildings in Qalandia in order to expand the apartheid wall and build a “security road”
Four buildings are at risk of being demolished by Israeli authorities close to Qalandia checkpoint, occupied West Bank. One of these buildings is still under construction, and the other three are undergoing major renovations, yet most of the apartments have already been sold or rented.
All four buildings face the apartheid wall
The decision to demolish the houses is justified by Israeli authorities with the need to both expand the apartheid wall, part of the Qalandia checkpoint, and to build a “security road” alongside the wall. The apartheid wall already separates Palestinians living in Qalandia from several dunums of their land, which were confiscated and turned into a military airbase, no longer in use, or for other military purposes. According to the Israeli plan, 18 meters (9 meters for the expansion of the wall and 9 meters for the construction of the road) of Palestinian private land are to be confiscated.
Qalandia checkpoint, along with a deactivated military airbase, are only a few meters away from the residential buildings
Around 80 households will be affected if the demolition is implemented and a few Palestinians families have already moved in. The owners have received the demolition orders on 14th May and the construction hasn’t stopped. Along with the four residential buildings, a children’s playground, situated next to one of the gates Israeli forces often uses to make incursions into Qalandia, is also going to be destroyed.
The demolition orders were issued to the owners on 14th May, and a petition to suspend it has been filed to Israeli courts
The residents and future residents of the four buildings have filed a petition to prevent the demolition and even if a first ruling from an Israeli Court ordered its suspension there is still the fear that the demolition and further expansion of the apartheid wall will indeed take place, vaguely justified by “security reasons.”
A children’s playground is also at risk of being demolished
This is not the first time that Qalandia (located in both areas B and C, according to the 1995 Oslo II Accord) has been subjected to house demolitions. In July 1996, 15 structures were destroyed in the village, which remains under the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem but separated from the rest of the city by the apartheid wall.
18th December 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Qalandiya, Occupied Palestine
The Israeli army shot dead a young Palestinian man in Qalandiya refugee camp.
http://www.qudsn.ps/article/56151
The army invaded the camp at around 3:00 am on the 16th of December with the aim of making arrests. The young people of the camp came out to repel the army from the camp and clashes erupted.
Mahmoud Abdullah Addwan (21) was shot in the forehead with live ammunition during the clashes while he was standing on the balcony of his house.
He was pronounced dead on arrival to the hospital.
After arresting Mujahid Mazen Hamad (26) from his home, the army finally left the camp.
The army had been shooting tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at the heavy traffic near Qalandiya checkpoint since the morning, because of small protests by the local children.
Mahmoud’s body was taken to Abu Dis for an autopsy, and the funeral was attended by hundreds at 2:30pm.
http://www.qudsn.ps/article/56151
http://www.qudsn.ps/article/56151
After the prayer most of the youths marched to Qalandiya checkpoint, chanting “justice for Mahmoud”, continuing the morning clashes until later that evening.
26th August 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | Qalandiya Refugee Camp, Occupied Palestine
At around 2am on 26th August 2013, eleven military jeeps invaded Qalandiya refugee camp during an operation to arrest a recently released prisoner. Residents of the camp tried to stop the army from arresting the man by throwing stones at military jeeps. Confrontations then erupted, with the Israeli soldiers shooting tear-gas canisters, rubber-coated steel bullets and live ammunition at the youth defending the refugee camp. Nineteen people were injured from live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets and two were killed on the spot, with a third dying shortly afterwards. Around six of these are still reportedly in a critical condition. Demonstrations mourning the martyrs and out of anger at their deaths spread across the West Bank, with particularly fierce clashes at Qalandiya checkpoint and in the city of Hebron.
Poster showing the three martyrs, along with women on a roof overlooking the funeral march today (photo by ISM)
During the early morning raid, 32-year-old Robin Ziad, a UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) worker, was on his way to work when he was shot in the chest with live ammunition. Younes Jahjouh, aged 22, was shot in the chest; while 20-year-old Jihad Aslan was shot in the neck – also with live ammunition. Robin and Younes died immediately from their wounds, whereas Jihad was transferred to Ramallah hospital, where he was declared clinically dead later in the morning. Israeli forces continued their raid, arresting the man they were looking for and leaving the refugee camp at around 7.30am.
Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral of the three martyrs at Qalandiya refugee camp, as friends and family members carried their bodies through the camp to the cemetery where they were buried. Gunshots and chants protesting their killing were heard throughout the ceremony as mourners filled the streets surrounding the cemetery.
After the funeral, dozens of youths marched along the main road to Qalandiya checkpoint and made barricades of burning tyres to prevent the Israeli military from approaching. Israeli forces arrived from across the checkpoint and shot several rounds of tear-gas canisters and sound bombs, while Palestinian youth defended the area by throwing stones at the Apartheid Wall, the checkpoint and the heavily armed and armoured soldiers.
Demonstrators burned tyres at Qalandiya checkpoint (photo by ISM)
As confrontations continued, Israeli forces shot many rounds of rubber-coated steel bullets at protesters, injuring at least ten. Medical personnel present at the scene also treated an old man who had suffered from the effects of excessive teargas inhalation.
Across the West Bank, there was a general strike as shops and businesses shut down for the day in solidarity with the martyrs and in protest against the occupation that caused it. Also, as news spread of the three martyrs, solidarity demonstrations sparked in many other cities and refugee camps.
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Hebron in response to the killings. Demonstrators armed with stones were met with teargas canisters, rubber coated steel bullets and sound bombs from the Israeli army.
The clashes continued for around eight hours and shut down the main shopping streets of Hebron, where barricades were constructed from burning tyres and empty water tanks. Israeli soldiers invaded the Palestinian Authority controlled H1 area, taking up positions on the roofs of residential buildings. The Israeli forces arrested at least four Palestinians, including Amjad Ibrahim Al-Natcha, 19, and three children.
Soldiers invade H1 and shoot rubber bullets at demonstrators (photo by ISM)
Confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinian youth protesting the killings also happened at Al Fawwar refugee camp near Hebron, Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem and Al Ram, amongst others.
Tomorrow, 27th August, has been declared the “Day of Anger” and more protests throughout the West Bank in response to the Qalandiya killings and the continued occupation are expected.
1 April 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
Linking Elbows at Qalandia - Click here for more images
A Swedish peace activist at the Land Day demonstration in Qalandia, outside of Ramallah, was arrested. During the arrest he was kicked and beaten by the Israeli soldiers.
“It happened so fast, I never understood what was going on before I was sitting with my hands tied behind my back in a military jeep,” said Philip after his release on Friday evening.
On Friday, demonstrations were held throughout Palestine and neighboring countries to mark Land Day, a day of remembrance of the fight against land theft in the Palestinian territories, an issue that is constantly present in the area.
This year Land Day was commemorated through the Global March to Jerusalem, engaging thousands of people in the West Bank, in Gaza, inside Israel and in surrounding countries. The idea was to simultaneously walk towards Jerusalem and on the West Bank the march was arranged in Bethlehem as well as in in Qalandia right outside of Ramallah. Qalandia is also the name of the enormous checkpoint denying Palestinians access to Eastern Jerusalem from Ramallah. Because of the wall the Israelis are building, Qalandia functions as a bottleneck which can at any time be closed down by the Israeli Army.
Thousands of Palestinians, Israelis and international activists marched on Qalandia checkpoint near Ramallah to commemorate Land Day and protest Israeli policies of apartheid and ethnic cleansing in Jerusalem as part of the GlobalMarch to Jerusalem. There were also protests in Bethlehem, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
Israeli occupation forces attacked the unarmed demonstrators with rubber-coated steelbullets, baton rounds, tear gas, skunk water, and the Long Range Acoustic Device. Palestinian medics reported treating over one hundred wounded, with dozens transferred to hospitals with serious injuries. At least eight ambulances were damaged by Israeli fire, and several medics suffered injuries while providing care.
The demonstration at Qalandia went off at half past twelve and soon turned into a turmoil when Israeli troops when the demonstratorrs were met with rubber-coated bullets, teargas and so called “skunk-water”, a chemical mixture with a terrible smell that sticks to your clothes. The Red Crescent treated 249 persons during the day of which 20 were hospitalized.
Present at the Qalandia demonstration was Philip Schulz, 20, and some twenty other activists from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). Around half past three the activists gathered for a joint action. With hands in the air the activist moved towards the ranks of soldiers still shooting bullets into the crowd when the group, consisting of activists from Sweden, Denmark, USA, France, Italy, Canada and the Netherlands, reached the troops and queried their behavior, the soldiers intended to arrest one of the American activists.
“We held linked elbows to avoid being parted by the soldiers,” says Phillip, “but suddenly I saw one of the borderpolice nod at me and I was violently parted from the group.”
During the arrest Philip received several kicks and punches. The day after he is still sore.
“They took me to a cell where I was left to sit untill evening together with a 16 year old Palestinian kid. We were not allowed to visit the bathroom for the entire time.”
In the evening Philip was released but he must present himself for further interrogation in Jerusalem on Sunday. He is suspected of having attacked and pushed one of the soldiers.
“It’s preposterous, we have it all on film and Philip makes no resistance at all,” said Gabbi Tynell, who also was present at the time of the arrest.
During similar demonstrations at the Eretz crossing in Gaza on Friday, the Palestinian activist Mahmoud Zakot, 20, was killed by live ammunition fired by Israeli forces. In Jerusalem, 34 demonstrators were arrested and several were taken to hospital.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz recently published information on the Israeli plans for future expansion of settlements. At present only 8% of the West Bank is controlled by the Palestinian Authority, while the rest is partially or fully under Israeli control. Settlements are the key to continued expansion of Israeli rule in the occupied territories.
The treatment of Palestinian residents of Jerusalem is in many ways a microcosm ofthe settlement, apartheid, and occupation of all of Palestine. Israeli practices there are geared towardseliminating any hope of Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinianstate. The demonstration represented only one stage in the ongoing struggle against the occupation. It will continue until Palestine is free.
Jeff and Jonas Weber is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed). You can check out his blog here.
