12th July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus team | Kufr Qaddum, Occupied Palestine
There were roughly 100 people demonstrating in Kufr Qaddum yesterday.
Photo by ISM
A number of the Palestinian youths present began to throw stones, when suddenly a young Palestinian fell to the ground, clutching his leg. An entry wound and an exit wound could clearly be seen.
Photo by ISM
A protester stated that the Israeli forces, who were firing from the top of a hill, were using .22 caliber rifles, which have been outlawed since 2001 according to Israeli law. A few minutes later, another demonstrator tumbled to the ground with a similar wound. The scene repeated itself three more times. A total of five youths were taken by ambulance to Rafidia hospital.
Photo by ISMPhoto by ISM
Another protester stated the behaviour of the military was unusual as they did not fire tear gas canisters or rubber-coated steel bullets. They used only live ammunition. The fact that there were dozens of children in the crowds did not seem to deter them.
in 1978, the illegal settlement of Qedumim was established nearby the village, occupying 4,000 dunams of land stolen from Kufr Qaddum. The villagers are currently unable to access an additional 11,000 dunams of land due to the closure by the Israeli army of the village’s main, and only, road leading to Nablus in 2003.
In 2004 and 2006, three villagers died when they were unable to reach the hospital in time. The ambulances carrying them were prohibited from using the main road and were forced to take a 13 km detour. These deaths provoked even greater resentment in Kufr Qaddum and, on 1st July 2011, the villagers decided to unite in protest in order to re-open the road and protect the land in danger of settlement expansion along it.
17th August 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Immatin, Occupied Palestine
Immatin is a village situated in close proximity to the annexation wall and flanked by the illegal settlements of Qedumim, Gilad and Immanu’el. Recently, three brothers from the village went to work on their land. However, when they arrived, they found that construction workers, under instruction from the Israeli authorities, were bulldozing and clearing areas of the land to erect electricity pylons. The brothers had not recieved any verbal or written request to use the land nor had they recieved any order that would confiscate it.
The brothers tried to stop the work, as the land is used for olive trees by the family and they fear the destruction of the trees. However the army were then called by the construction workers who when arriving threatened to beat and then arrest the brothers unless they left. The army said that the building work would be between the olive trees, but it is not known what will happen in the future, nor if it will still be permitted for them to access their own land, once these Israeli power lines are in place. When threatened with arrest the brothers left their land, powerless to assert their property and individual rights because they are Palestinian.
International activists visited the land with one of the brothers when the work was still taking place and it can be seen that the olive trees are at high risk from being destroyed during the construction. This case shows the belief that the Israeli occupation has in their own impunity, when they are able to construct, demolish and confiscate without even issuing papers. Even when demolition, confiscation and stop work orders are given, Palestinians have very little chance in overturning them in the Israel courts. The private land under construction is area C which means it is under full Israeli control, where Israel is obliged to look after the rights and administer for all the inhabitants.
3rd July 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Sarra, Occupied Palestine
On the morning of the 30th of June, settlers from the illegal outpost of Havat Gilad rallied 100 settlers from the nearby illegal settlement of Qedumim to attack the land of the Palestinian village of Sarra.
Late in the morning, settlers went to the land located between Sarra and the illegal Israeli outpost and set fire to the land, resulting in twenty dunums of land burnt and two hundred olive trees destroyed. The Palestinian fire brigade arrived at the scene to put out the fire, but was prevented from reaching the land by the Israeli military. The fifteen Palestinian farmers who own this land have not been able to access it for years – they have been denied access because of its proximity to the illegal outpost.
The village of Sarra, located southwest of Nablus city, has seen 2000 dunums of their land annexed bythe illegal Israeli outpost of Havat Gilad. This outpost was erected in 2002 and is considered illegal under both international and Israeli law. The Israeli government dismantled some structures of the outpost in 2011 which led to ‘price-tag’ attacks in retribution against Palestinian communities nearby. The structures were soon rebuilt by the settlers and have since then been protected by the Israeli military.
This is a regular tactic of Israeli settlers to create ‘facts on the ground’ by establishing illegal outposts, which are then protected by the Israeli military and eventually designated as neighbourhoods of exisiting settlements. There are currently around 121 settlements in the West Bank, along with around 100 illegal outposts.
Havat Gilad outpost (Photo by ISM)The illegal outpost of Havat Gilad on the right and the burnt land on the left (Photo by ISM)
21 September 2012 | International Solidarity Movement
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UPDATE 19:25, 23 Sept: Many, many thanks to our Israeli activist friends who have given so much of their time and energy to help us! We would not be able to navigate the legal system as smoothly as possible without their support. British citizens Gordon Bennett, 44, Ellie Clayton, 24 and Aimee McGovern, 23, and American citizen Lauren Siebert were released from Ariel settlement police station today, are now under house arrest in Tel Aviv for the next 7 days. The authorities are withholding their passports, and it is possible that at the end of the week the activists will be handed over to the Ministry of Interior for deportation. The tactic of arresting pro-Palestinian activists in order to directly deport them is illegal by Israeli law, but is a tactic often used by the Israeli army to suppress solidarity efforts. The Israeli activists have given the internationals a place to stay under house arrest, as well as transportation from Ariel. ISM is working to figure out the status of the Majed Faruq and Abd al-Latif Faruq, two Palestinians who were also arrested Friday.
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Four human rights defenders (3 British citizens and an American), as well as two Palestinians, were arrested at the weekly Kufr Qaddoum demonstration. They are currently detained in the illegal Kedumim settlement police station for interrogation. The two Palestinians, Majed Faruq, 20, and Abd al-Latif Faruq, 24 were arrested from inside their homes as the army stormed the village.
Soldiers chasing a group of international human rights defenders shortly before arresting 4, still being held in police custody. (Photo courtesy of The Kufr Qaddum demonstration).
The villagers of Kufr Qaddoum demonstrate weekly against the closure of the road from their village to Nablus since 2002. The Palestinians are not allowed to travel the most direct route to Nablus, 13 km away, due to the positioning of nearby illegal Israeli settlement Kedumim. The commute to Nablus from Kufr Qaddoum is now doubled.
Although the weekly Kufr Qaddoum demonstrations have been going on for over a year, the Israeli military has recently upped efforts to stop the demonstration from occurring. In the past two weeks, the soldiers have entered the village before the midday prayer and the beginning of the march towards the closed road, surrounding the mosque and firing tear gas into the crowd. Three people, including an Israeli press activist, were injured as tear gas canisters were shot directly at them, hitting them in the arms. In addition to tear gas and sound bombs, after the arrests the Israeli military entered into the village with a skunk water truck. The checkpoints around the village were closed by the Israeli military until 5 p.m.
Resident of the Palestinian village throwing shoes at the soldiers after they entered the village and began shooting teargas near the mosque during Friday prayers. (Photo courtesy of The Kufr Qaddum Demonstration).
The Israeli military has been continuing their arrests of villagers: soldiers came early yesterday morning, Thursday 20 September at 2:30 a.m. to arrest four young Palestinian men: Taka Mohammad, 17, Mohammad Amir, 16, Yosouf Shtaiwi, 20, and Nadir Amer, 23. Anas Waleed Barham, 22, was arrested early Wednesday morning at a checkpoint. Another resident of Kufr Qaddum, Ahmad Shtaiwi, 22, remains in prison since his arrest March 16th.
The nonviolent human rights defenders have been charged with throwing stones and being in a closed military zone. There are reports that the detainees were beaten during the arrest, although this remains unconfirmed.
Eva Smith is a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).
During the raid, soldiers pillaged jewelry and caused extensive damage to houses. Residents are certain that arrests were made to quash regular protests in the village
Massive numbers of Israeli soldiers staged an extensive pre-dawn raid on the West Bank village of Kufr Qaddoum last night, storming over a dozen houses. Twenty individuals, aged 16 to 38 were motioned from their beds at gunpoint and arrested.
Several of the raided houses were ransacked and left with extensive damage to their interiors. Soldiers have gone as far as pillaging gold jewelry estimated in thousands of shekels from the house belonging to Atta Shtawi, whose son Sabri was detained.
Media contact: Abir Kopty: 054-678-2420
Among those arrested are three minors – one 16 year-old and two 17 year-olds – as well as Riad Shtewi, a member of the village’s popular committee.
Villagers from Kufr Qaddoum have been holding regular weekly demonstrations for the past 9 months in protest of ongoing land theft by the adjacent Jewish-only settlement of Qadummim and in demand that the main road to the village be reopened. the road has been sealed by the army at the beginning of the second intifada.
Protesters in Kufr Qaddoum regularly face ever increasing levels of military violence, including the use of a military assault dogs the soldiers sicced at protesters two weeks ago.
