Tag: Qusra

Video: Civil resistance in Palestine

22 March 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

From Nablus, Palestine to New York City, civilians stand up to the forces of order and privilege.
Palestinian villagers confront the Zionist military of the State of Israel in Kusra and Kufr Kaddoum villages near Nablus, the occupied West Bank.  The Jewish international opposition expresses its solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for freedom.

MPEG4 format available from the Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians saalaha@fokus.name  & Tanweer Cultural Enlightenment Forum of Nablus mustafa.azizi@hotmail.com

 

Mustafa Azizi, the filmmaker, describes his production:

I am Mustafa Azizi, a Palestinian filmmaker from the people under occupation. My art offers images of the resulting occupation, carrying dreams of ordinary people to the world in order to narrate the horror of being under occupation, to look for hope among the rubble of difficulties.

I try to understand the reality converting it to the dreams, I say frankly and boldly what is happening and will happen. From this came this product which was conceived simple and crazy, to say this is my country and this is what’s happening to her. I am responding to what they give me, as a Palestinian. I want to give my opinion. I need Palestine as I want it and as I love it, not as they want to give it to us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxbsziJQZg8

My film is simple.
This film was made because of an increase in the recent attacks of the occupation on the citizens and the various forms of stealing and burning land and killing Palestinian livestock farmers , and because the settlers have become the first line of Israel’s attack against the Palestinian villages.
The idea of this product was to address the world in its own language and explain to it the width of the issue of Palestinian Civil Resistance’s their weekly protest against the expansion of settlements, land theft, occupation. The closure of the main entrances to these villages, and daily attacks from settlers and army.
The film shows Palestinian people working hand in hand with international solidarity activists to move the conflict to a higher level, a global struggle against all forms of racism, humiliation and occupation against the forces of authoritarianism that enslave peoples and loot and steal in order to further colonial objectives. This conflict has become the popular form of expression the world uses against all types of exploitation. The non violent struggle has become a form of the Palestinian model and applies in all the corners of the world: sit-ins, tents and demonstrations against the authority, power and tyranny of monopoly and other types of capitalism that crush the poor.

This film simply connects what is happening in Palestine to what is happening in the world. It also sheds light on a range of other issues and information about the Palestinian issue, which gives us a simplified idea of the conflict here for decades.

In Pictures: The day of the UN bid

24 September 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

September 23 was a historical day for Palestinians worldwide and within the territories, as the Palestinian Authority submitted a bid to the UN to be recognized as the 194th nation of the world. While diplomats and political discussions ensued, a typical dialogue between Palestinians continued in the face of constant illegal Israeli oppression.

Qalandia:

The demonstration started just after the noon prayer. By 5 there were approximately 200 Palestinians. Most of the soldiers were special forces, dressed in black uniforms. The “Scream” a loud siren used  to deter demonstrators with its screeching noise, made its second appearance at Qalandia this week. A jeep mounted tear gas launcher was used to fire at least ten tear gas canisters at once. Due to the enclosed environment near the Qalandia checkpoint and refugee camp, escaping the clouds of gas was difficult for demonstrators. After launching teargas rounds, special forces charged up the street firing rubber coated steel bullets into the backs of protesters running from the gas. Red Crescent workers estimated at least 30 people were injured, with one person suffering a gunshot wound to the head after being hit with a rubber coated steel bullet. As late as 8:30 PM, the Israeli army was still firing occasional volleys of teargas from the Qalandia watchtower and on the ground until demonstrators finally dispersed.

Nabi Saleh:

Following noon prayers, peaceful demonstrators found themselves being attacked by Israeli military volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets almost immediately upon their presence. With a skunk water truck present, the “Scream” siren sounded to deter the presence of locals, as the Israeli military shot low to the ground and at close range, about 16-20 meters from peaceful demonstrators. 4 were injured by rubber coated steel bullets while a French photographer sustained a wound to his leg from a tear gas canister.

Qusra:

After finishing their Friday prayers, Qusra residents found that illegal settlers from a neighboring  illegal settlement were destroying olive trees just before the national olive harvest season. As locals approached their land to salvage what they could, the Israeli military intervened to defend these illegal settlers, killing Essam Aoudhi and wounding others.

Hebron:

Following an emergency call, international volunteers immediately went to the home of the Sultan family, where the previous settler attacks were documented at Tar Abusie School children.  When they arrived on the closed off road for Palestinians, they encountered a collection of vehicles filled with settlers from a nearby large, illegal Israeli settlement off the road. At the entrance of the compound, a soldier awaited them and opened gate. At the end of the group, a soldier enclosed jeep followed behind.

Volunteers continued toward the Sultan family area to see if more settlers had stayed behind. They had left, but the family expressed that the settlers held a demonstration regularly, every Friday about 12 noon to1 p.m. Internationals will be monitoring this area of Hebron regularly this Friday.

Around 5 p.m ISM received another call that the settlers had returned to harrass the farmers in the Sultan family area.

Later that night in the main center of Hebron, a gigantic screen was placed in the street for the town to hear the speeches of all the PA politicos. The town came out for the occasion.  A large barbed wire had been placed into the opening of the old city past Checkpoint 56. At least 100 PA police, as well as Israeli soldiers were out guarding.  At one point about 300 young men gathered in a street to get into the Old City and possibly the checkpoints, but the PA police held them back.  The IDF was ready for them near the checkpoint with about 40 soldiers.

However, the boys dispersed slowly.

 

Essam Aoudhi: Martyred in defense of Qusra

23 September 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

Today Essam Kamal Abed Aoudhi, a 35 year old father of 8 children from the village of Qusra, was murdered by the Israeli army as they fired live ammunition indiscriminately into a crowd of villagers gathered in their village.

From the nearby outpost of Esh Kodesh (“Holy Head”) built entirely on stolen Qusra land, a large group of settlers left the settlement and entered the village just after 1pm and began attacking villagers and burning olive groves. As the villagers gathered to protect themselves and their land, the soldiers arrived and stood between the settlers and villagers, protecting the settlers who retreated.

Soldiers instantly began to fire tear gas canisters, rubber bullets and live ammunition directly at villagers, making no attempt to disperse but intending solely to injure.

Mohammad Abdul Odeh, age 16, was shot in the stomach with a high velocity tear gas canister as he stood on his land.

Remi Hassan was shot with 4 rubber bullets and one dum dum from 2 meters away by the Israeli military.

Remi Yusef Faiz Hassan, age 35, was shot with 4 rubber bullets and one dum dum from 2 meters as he peacefully walked to soldiers to ask why they allow the settlers to enter his village and burn his trees.

Sameeh Hassan, age 24, was shot in the groin with rubber bullets as he attempted to reach his olive trees and extinguish the fire destroying them.

Essam Aoudhi was shot with live ammunition as he joined his fellow villagers protesting the army’s incursion into his village. According to Dr. Sameh Abu Zaroh, a doctor at Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, the wound on Essam’s body shows that the bullet was shot from just a few meters away and from below in such a way to insure maximum injury. The bullet entered the right side of Essam’s chest and exited through the top of his back, fracturing his vertebrae in multiple places.

After Essam was carried to an ambulance, the soldiers left immediately, clearly understanding what had just happened. The people of Qusra returned to the centre of the village where children had gathered, shouting slogans expressing their anger over Essam’s martyrdom.

As the sun set in Qusra, the punishment continued, as two teenagers stumbled into the village before collapsing to the ground in pain. Both Amar Masameer, age 19, and Fathi Hassan, age 16, were arrested earlier in the day as they made their way towards Qusra’s burning olive trees.

They did not resist arrest yet returned to the village dripping with blood and faces so swollen they were barely recognisable. Once arrested, Fathi Hassan explained, settlers from the outpost had asked the soldiers detaining them for permission to beat the two boys. The soldiers did not interfere and so the settlers began stoning the boys whilst their hands where cuffed behind their backs. Amar Masameer was hit directly in the eye with a stone thrown from just a few meters and is now in Rafidia hospital awaiting treatment.

“Holy water” in Qusra attracts violent settlers

18 September 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

While farming their land in the village of Qusra, 50 year old Fathalla and his three sons were attacked by a group of armed settlers on the morning of September 16th. The attack came amid recent increase of settler violence in anticipation of the UN vote on recognition of Palestinian state.

Fathalla and his three sons were working in a fig orchad, when one of the boys heard someone breaking the lock on their well. They saw 9 armed settlers, three of them with M-16 and the rest with pistols and a dog. The Abu Reida family decided to hold back the settlers until Israeli military arrived. Following a similar incident, Palestinians reported settler attacks to the Israeli district coordination office, but were dismissed and told to “hold back settlers” next time there is an incident  until the army could arrive.

As Fathalla and his sons approached the well, they noticed that one of the settlers was taking a bath in the well, which houses water used for both farming and drinking by the Palestinian family.

“I’m afraid to drink this water now. I think they dirtied it, and maybe even poisoned it, as has happened in the past,”  said Fathalla, adding that settlers believed that water from that area was holy and bathing in it rinsed all sins.

In the mean time, one of the Fathalla sons called Qusra’s local sheikh, who announced on the villages loudspeakers that settlers had invaded the village. Fathalla and his sons were preventing settlers from leaving by blocking a fenced road running through the fields. Settlers kept firing their guns in the air.

When villagers approached, settlers panicked and one of them jumped the fence. Fathalla’s19-year-old son followed  one of the settler’s who was armed with an M-16.

Another settler released the dog, which attack the young man. As he was being attack and fell to the ground, the settler broke his leg. His brothers left the other settlers to flee, while they assisted their injured brother.

As they were escaping the scene, settlers shot random series of live ammunitation in the direction of villagers, wounding Fathalla Abu Reida in his thigh.

Tought by the previous experience with reporting settlers attacks, Fathalla sons took plenty of pictures documenting the entire incident. Abu Reida family submittted pictures and their testimonies to the Palestinian Authority, who in turn said they would communicate with the Israeli district coordination office.

“I don’t believe they will react. But I still have to do everything that is possible to try to save my land,” said Fathalla.

The Israeli military forces, claiming they were coming to arrest one of the settlers, arrived to Qusra around 1 pm on the same day.

“There were 200 soldiers! Why would they send so many soldiers to arrest one man?, said Fathalla.

Soldiers cracked down on the village, showering it with tear gas at the southern outskirts of the village. Women, men, and children reportedly protested this second invasion by Israelis.

Qusra inhabitants felt their village has become a scene of increasing settler violence over last four months. Settlers activity typically occurs every Friday during the congregational prayer time for Muslims.

The last attack took place on September 5th, when settlers from an outpost of the illegal settlement Migron torched a mosque. Just few days earlier, on August 28th, settlers uprooted 100 hundred olive trees. The entire village came to stop them, yet the army arrived soon after, ordering people to disperse. As Jamal Adli Hassan was walking away, an Israeli officer shot him with live ammunition in his leg.

The surge in violence coming from the illegal settlements in the West Bank last week might be connected to arming and training settlers by the Israeli miliatary in anticipation of Palestinian protests against lack of recognition of their basic right to self-determination as the Palestinian Authority approach the UN for their bid as the 194th country in the world.

Illegal settlers throw burning tires into Qusra mosque

5 September 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

On Monday September 5th the village of Qusra were woken at 2 in the morning to find their mosque on fire. Settlers from the illegal outpost of Migron had entered the village and walked 1km until they arrived at the mosque, spraying cars with stars of David along the way. The settlers had sprayed Hebrew on the walls, broken two of the windows and thrown burning tires in an attempt to burn the mosque down. The graffiti on the walls read ‘Mohammad is a pig’ and ‘This is revenge’.

An Israeli court injunction was passed just hours before the attack, requiring the demolition of three structures within the illegal outpost. It seems that those settlers involved in the arson were targeting the mosque to vent their frustration about the Supreme court’s decision.

This attack comes 5 days after settlers from the same outpost uprooted 100 olive trees. When the Israeli forces finally arrived at the scene they positioned themselves between the settlers and the villagers and directed the villagers to leave the area where their olive trees lay on the floor. As the villagers walked away one soldier shot live ammunition at Jamal Adli Hussein, a 21 year old man. The bullet entered both of Jamal’s legs and he was rushed to hospital immediately.

People in the village are scared about the recent escalation of violence and are worried about what may happen during the olive harvest, which will begin in one months time.