Tag: Qalqilya

Stop The Wall: “Our struggle will continue until the Wall is torn down!”

By Mohammed Othman

Jayyous 19-12-2008

To view the Stop The Wall website click here

A massive demonstration against the Wall was held in Jayyous on December 19, with about 700 people, mostly youth, protesting against the new path of the Wall that will permanently confiscate nearly 6,000 dunums of village land. The demonstration, which lasted for nearly five hours, resulted in several injuries to villagers, international solidarity activists, and four soldiers.

At 1:00 in the afternoon, the protesters began to march from the centre of the village, to the south gate of the Wall, which is the area that is slated to be re-routed. As they marched, Occupation forces did not stop them from reaching the gate, but rather they entered the village from two different directions, and stationed themselves in a manner that surrounded the demonstrators. Undeterred by their vulnerable position in the middle of the forces, however, the demonstrators continued to march, and when they reached the gate, several different community activists gave speeches to the crowd, reaffirming Jayyous’ resistance to the Wall, and denouncing the Occupation in general.

For approximately 45 minutes, the speeches continued without confrontation, and it was announced that the village would organize another demonstration next week. As this announcement was made, however, the Occupation forces began to close in on the protesters, and began taking pictures of the youth, in order to facilitate their targeting of the most active people in the future. In response to this, several youth began throwing stones at the forces.

The Occupation forces then began firing tear gas, sound bombs, and rubber bullets into the crowd. According to a Red Crescent doctor, one international was hit in the face by a rubber bullet and had to be taken away from the scene. One person was also arrested by the Occupation forces, but after being held for three hours, the international activists and local youth were able to secure his release. At one point, live bullets were used as well, as the forces attempted to use lethal methods against the protesting villagers. In the face of this violence, the demonstrators were forced to move back into the village, but the confrontations did not end there.

The Occupation forces were only able to enter the village on foot, as roadblocks set up by the villagers prevented the jeeps from entering. Taking advantage of this situation, village youth who were positioned on the roofs of buildings continued to rain stones down on the forces. Four members of the Occupation forces were injured by the barrage of stones, and the forces had no choice but to retreat from the village.

Once they retreated out of throwing distance, the forces fired more than 20 tear gas bombs into the village, causing several serious breathing problems. Two villagers had to be taken away in an ambulance as a result of inhaling too much tear gas.

Throughout the afternoon and into the evening, however, the people of Jayyous refused to back down from the Occupation’s violence and aggression. Led by the youth, villagers continued to chant slogans against the Occupation’s apartheid and against the Wall: “No matter what they do to our land, our land is inside of us, and our struggle will continue until the Wall is torn down.” Furthermore, The people asserted that the struggle and the resistance in Jayyous would not stop until the Wall is torn down, and until they are able to use their land again. This is the new generation of mobilization and resistance, with the youth leading the charge, and the spirit of collective action spreading across the West Bank.

Israeli forces attack demonstration in Jayyous

On Friday December 12th, Israeli soldiers once again entered the village of Jayyous in order to prevent demonstrators from protesting against the Apartheid Wall. 150 residents from the village marched against the new route of the Apartheid Wall that threatens to annex almost 6000 dunums of Jayyous land, but were prevented from leaving the village by Israeli soldiers, who blocked every exit from the village.

Protesters confronted soldiers with chants and flags for over half an hour, before demonstrators dispersed. Local youth, however, objected to the Israeli army’s continued presence in the village with rock-throwing, which sparked a barrage of tear gas, sound bombs and rubber-coated steel bullets, as soldiers invaded the village. Two people were injured by rubber-coated steel bullets; another broke his leg falling whilst running from soldiers’ fire; and many more suffered tear gas inhalation as soldiers randomly fired gas into narrow alleys of the village.

After initially retreating back into the village, Palestinians were then able to drive the Israeli soldiers back in an attempt to reach the Wall. Palestinians continued to show their resistance to the Apartheid Wall and Israeli occupation for over 3 hours.

IWPS: Settlers burn olive groves in Immatin

To view the International Women’s Peace Service (IWPS) website click here

At about 2 p.m. on Friday, December 5, 2008, farmers in Immatin, a village in Qalqiliya, noticed a fire had broken out in olive groves several kilometres south of the village. The farmers estimate that the fire spread over an area of 100-150 dunums (1 dunum = 1,000 square meters) before Palestinian firefighters were able to arrive and put it out.

An estimated 150 to 200 trees, manly olive but also a few almond and fig trees, were affected by the fire. While the almond and fig trees were destroyed, most of the olive trees are likely to survive. Farmers checking the damage to their groves surmised that the fire was likely to have been started in two places.

As there was widespread settler violence against Palestinians in the area as well as open calls for a week of “retaliations” after the eviction of extremist settlers from an occupied house in Hebron yesterday, farmers from Immatin believe the fire was set by settlers. They also report that settlers from the Immanu’el settlement and Havad Gilad outpost frequently come to the area on horses, and at about 4 p.m. today five settlers were spotted in the valley beside the groves, moving away from the area towards Immanu’el.

Settlers riot across West Bank as part of ‘price-tag’ campaign following eviction of settlers from Rajabi house, Hebron

UPDATE: Settlers are attacking Palestinian residents and property around the West Bank in a coordinated outbreak of aggression following the eviction of settlers from the occupied Rajabi house in Hebron. Attacks against Palestinians have been reported from Turmas’ayya, Burin, Huwarra, Beit Iba, Azzoun, al-Funduq, Assira-al-Qabliya and Susiya, as well as the mass settler riots in Hebron.

10:30pm 4th December: Settlers have thrown molotov cocktails at a house in Assira-al-Qabliya, Nablus region, setting the house alight. Widespread damage has been reported by Palestinian firefighters who have now put out the blaze.

In Susiya, the tent of Hajet Sarra Nausaja has been burnt down by settlers who have stormed through the area.

One Palestinian man has been taken to hospital in Qalqilya after his car was attacked by settlers close to al-Funduq. His condition is as yet unknown. Residents of al-Funduq also reported that Israeli soldiers ordered all shops to close and people to remain inside their homes in case the settlers arrived.

6:30pm 4th December – These coordinated attacks appear to be the manifestation of settler warnings of a ‘price-tag’ campaign that were reported in September of this year.

Just outside the village of Turmas’ayya, Israeli soldiers stopped a bus and at least 40 other Palestinian cars from traveling down Road 60 that links Nablus and Ramallah. As the cars were being stopped settlers attacked the cars, throwing rocks and other projectiles. Large-scale damage was reported from the scene.

Those trapped inside the cars report that Israeli soldiers are refusing to intervene and prevent the settler attacks or to allow the Palestinian traffic to pass so as to escape from the settler attacks. Witnesses to this have said that they are very scared and that there has been considerable damage caused towards the bus and cars.

In the village of Burin, Nablus region, over 100 settlers have attacked the village, throwing stones at Palestinian houses and damaging property. Settlers have also set fire to Palestinian agricultural land in Burin. Groups of settlers have been throwing rocks at houses with Israeli soldiers seemingly unwilling to prevent them. In one house residents are trapped inside while settlers have repeatedly thrown rocks against their property. International Human Rights Workers in the village have reported that Israeli soldiers in the vilage have been using tear-gas and sound grenades against Palestinians not in their homes, but are refraining from using such force against settlers attacking the village.

Rather than confront the violent settlers, Israeli soldiers have preferred to use force on Palestinian residents in the regions. A resident of Burin was violently detained by Israeli soldiers after settlers had attacked his car and broken his windshield. A similar incident was reported to the International Women’s Peace Service as one resident, while driving home, was confronted by Israeli soldiers who refused to intervene as settlers attacked his car.

International Human Rights Workers have also reported that both Beit Iba and Huwarra checkpoints have been blocked by settlers and that rocks are being thrown at Palestinians attempting to pass through the Israeli checkpoints.

In response to these settler attacks, rather than confront the settlers, have blocked Palestinian traffic from running on Road 60 that links Nablus and Ramallah, the road between Kufr Laqif and Jinsafut and the road between Jit and al-Funduq. With the religious of Eid approaching, it appears that Israeli forces are seeking to prevent Palestinians traveling instead of acting to prevent the settler attacks.

Israeli authorities announce that Azzun is to be walled in

Azzun villagers’ fears were confirmed when they were delivered a notice that Israeli authorities intend to build a wall between their village and the main road that runs along its northern edge – Road 55.

At 6:30pm on Friday 28th November Israeli military vehicles entered the village, with personnel delivering the notice of the planned wall to the Sheikh at the central mosque, asking him to pass it on to the municipality. The documents give “prevention of stone throwing at Road 55” as the official reason for the construction of the wall, with maps showing the route of the wall extending along the southern side of Road 55 from Izbit at Tabib to the illegal Israeli settlement of Maale Shomeron.

Residents inform that a high-ranking member of the Israeli Civil Administration visited the villagers and farmers on 30th November advising them that the wall will be made from wire, but would not say how tall or how far from the road the wall would be. He also advised residents that the wall will not block the main entrance to the village. The maps provided to the villagers, however, show that the planned wall will completely close the main entrance of Azzun – preventing villagers from directly accessing the main road to Nablus and Qalqiliya. This entrance is regularly closed by Israeli military forces by roadblocks and razorwire – part of the collective punishment frequently visited upon the villagers during Israeli military incursions.

Residents have been given just one week to lodge complaints against the impending wall construction – complaints that need to be accompanied by current ownership documents. Any residents wishing to make a complaint must first then request new proof of ownership papers from Israeli authorities. Many in the village are cynical that the complaint system will have any effect at all. “For sure this [complaint] route will not work. Always they say ‘you can complain’, but this is just to make it legal. They will make it [the wall] and they will say it is for security reasons”.

Villagers have good reason to by cynical. When the Apartheid Wall was first planned to the East of Azzun, residents were told they had two weeks to lodge their complaints. Before the two weeks were up, construction on the Wall was started, under the pretext that if the court decision was against the Wall, then the work would be reversed.

Israeli authorities have advised villagers that the new wall will confiscate 7 dounums of village land. Many in the village are also suspicious of this figure, as the original plans given for the Eastern Wall were for 25 metres in length. Once bulldozing began the Wall spanned more than 100 metres.

While authorities are claiming the new wall is to prevent stones being thrown on the Israeli-controlled road, no such measures have been taken against illegal Israeli settlements where stones thrown at Palestinian cars cause many injuries. Also, note residents, a wire wall, such as those imposed on Marda and Haris in the Salfit region, would do nothing to prevent stones being thrown.

The new wall will, however, prevent farmers from easily reaching their lands that lie on the north side of Road 55, while with the main road to Nablus destroyed by Israeli forces years ago, transportation and travel will become increasingly difficult and expensive.