Tag: Ramadan

Deceptively “quiet” first week of Ramadan in Jerusalem: a result of restrictions at Qalandia checkpoint

19 March 2024 | International Solidarity Movement | West Bank/East Jerusalem

Stories from Israeli and international press extoll a safe and unencumbered celebration of the first week of Ramadan for the thousands of Palestinians with Israeli or Jerusalem ID cards, who were allowed entry to Al-Aqsa in most cases with minimal delay.

Unfortunately, Palestinian Muslim prayergoers from the West Bank encountered conditions very different from the story distributed by the press.

Instead of open access, the vast majority of Muslim Palestinians were denied entry to Jerusalem at a heavily militarized Qalandia checkpoint—the largest, most-trafficked access point out from the West Bank. This resulted in a chaotic scene of delay, frustration, and service taxis offering early long-distance rides home to Palestinians who traveled from far away for prayer, only to be immediately rejected at the gate.

After much debate in the executive branch of Israeli government, it was recently announced that only Muslim men over 55, women over 50, and children under 10 would be granted passage through Qalandia. These parameters exclude more than 90% the West Bank population—and, of course, all of Gaza. For comparison, the Ramadan 2023 restrictions on passage from West Bank permitted all men over 45, and all women.

But the constraints and confusion did not stop here; even among those who met the age requirements, West Bank residents could not enter through Qalandia unless they had been previously approved for a special entry ID.

Regarding his exclusion under the entry ID restriction, a Palestinian man in his early 60s shared: “They told me I needed a special permit. But no one here knows they need this permit. And even when you apply, they use any reason to deny you.” Absence of this “entry permit” was used as an excuse to turn away thousands of prayergoers on the first Friday of Ramadan. Another man denied entry (he was twenty days shy of 55) added that those standing outside Qalandia represented only a small fraction of those rejected, because “mostly everyone don’t bother to try. With the [Gaza] war, people don’t feel like celebrating. They don’t think they will be let in.”

For many Palestinian Muslims, praying at the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque is considered a special religious responsibility.

A group of women who had been banned from meeting this responsibility staged a protest Friday morning outside Qalandia. Together, standing meters away from heavily armed IOF soldiers, these women gathered and chanted—in the shadow of the wall, 10 kilometers from Al-Aqsa, as close to the Dome of the Rock as Israeli authorities would permit them to stand.

Photos and videos @ISM.

Israeli forces harass and assault Palestinians at Qalandiya checkpoint

Throughout the morning of Friday 8^th June, many Palestinians passed through Qalandiya checkpoint into Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem, in order to pray at the Al-Aqsa mosque. The Israeli government allows a slight easing of the travel restrictions that ban most Palestinians in the West Bank from entering Jerusalem, only for Friday prayers during the month of Ramadan. Older men above 45 or 50, women of any age and children under 12 are allowed to pass through to pray in Al-Aqsa mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Fridays, although this year the Israeli military have not allowed anyone from Gaza to travel to Jerusalem. Also, despite the easing of the occupation’s restrictions of freedom of movement for Palestinians during Ramadan, many older men, women and children do not get to make it through for arbitrary reasons or because of delays at the checkpoint. It was apparent that many women, children and older men were not allowed to pass through this morning.

Israeli forces eject woman from Qalandiya checkpoint waiting area

After ejecting her from checkpoint waiting area, Israeli forces push woman to floor

Outside a pedestrian entrance to the waiting area from the main road, at around 1145am, Israeli police assaulted a middle aged woman, ejecting her from the waiting area and shoving her onto the floor. Watch a video from Quds News Network here. Israeli police and border police then closed a pedestrian entrance towards the checkpoint from the main road and made many of the people, mainly women, trying to pass through walk around. Israeli forces pushed and shoved many young men and children gathered outside the checkpoint. Many Palestinians go to Qalandiya on Fridays during Ramadan to protest the ongoing travel restrictions that prevent them from going from the West Bank to the occupied city of Jerusalem. Some gathered to pray outside the checkpoint after not being allowed to pass through.

Israeli forces push people back from entrance to Qalandiya checkpoint waiting area before 12pm

Men not allowed to pass through Qalandiya to pray in Al-Aqsa mosque gather to pray outside checkpoint

Israeli police pushes boy in waiting area outside Qalandiya checkpoint

Israeli border police points tear gas launcher at people outside Qalandiya checkpoint

After pushing men towards the exit of Qalandiya checkpoint, Israeli security officer raises pepper spray at people

Israeli security officer threatens people at Qalandiya checkpoint

Women and children not allowed to pass through Qalandiya checkpoint to go to occupied Jerusalem

Inside the military checkpoint, Israeli forces harassed many men, women and children, some of whom were allowed to pass through while others were forced to wait for hours inside the checkpoint. At around 12pm, Israeli forces closed the main checkpoint going into Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli forces continued to assault people within the checkpoint, and one border police pointed a tear gas launcher at a crowd of men, women and children, threatening to fire tear gas at them. Israeli forces pushed a metal fence against a group of women and children, and started to push people out of the checkpoint, assaulting several women. The same Israeli border police officer who had pointed his tear gas launcher at a crowd of people then assaulted a group of women and children as he pushed them out of the checkpoint. Another Israeli border police officer pushed men and women from the checkpoint and threatened them by raising pepper spray in their faces. As far as ISM observed, no one was injured during the assaults, although two young girls around the age of 9 or 10 were visibly upset and crying. Outside the checkpoint, Israeli police and border police continued to push people away, including a group of women sat on the floor in a shady area, for no apparent reason.

One man, from the Nablus area, aged 50, had not been allowed to pass through to Jerusalem, and was stuck on the Ramallah side of the checkpoint, not able to meet his friend in Jerusalem and attend prayers at Al-Aqsa. As men, women and children continued to be pushed back from the checkpoint after it was closed, he laughed as he said, ‘what, do we need a Jerusalem ID to be here [in the waiting area outside of the checkpoint] now?’ He told ISM that he has been inside occupied East Jerusalem on the other side of the Israeli-controlled military checkpoints, and that it makes him sad. ‘Because it’s beautiful, and it’s our land, it’s my land.’ Many other men from the West Bank have never been allowed into the occupied city of Jerusalem because of the Israeli occupation’s travel restrictions. For more on the extent of travel restrictions imposed on all Palestinians across the occupied West Bank see here.

At around 2pm many Palestinians arriving on buses from Jerusalem walked back through Qalandiya checkpoint, returning to the rest of the West Bank. Israeli border police continued to harass people who not allowed through and were stood waiting for their friends and family to return. A group of border police started to push Palestinians selling bread, sweets and drinks on the Ramallah side of the checkpoint, demanding that they move their stalls away, despite there being plenty of room for people to walk through. Israeli border police seized cartloads of bread, sweets and drinks from the market sellers, moving them inside the gates of the checkpoint, and did not allow them to sell their goods for at least half an hour. ISM observed as two Israeli security forces filmed the Palestinians passing back through the checkpoint, apparently on personal mobile phones. One Israeli security officer approached international observers to harass and film them.

Israeli border police officer confiscates juice from market sellers in Qalandiya checkpoint waiting area

Israeli border police confiscate bread from market sellers

Israeli police keep market sellers’ bread on other side of fence and don’t allow them to sell it

Israeli security officer films and photographs Palestinians returning through Qalandiya from occupied Jerusalem

Palestinians celebrating Eid in a ‘closed military zone’

26th June 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

As anywhere all over the world, Palestinian Muslims are celebrating the end of the fasting-month Ramadan with the 3-day feast of Eid. Eid usually is a joyous occasion, everyone dresses up nicely and the most important activity is visiting family. For Palestinians under Israeli military occupation though, it is a little more difficult. Countless daily movement-restrictions, navigating the maze of permanent and sudden, so-called ‘flying’ checkpoints is just one part of the methods of slow ethnic cleansing enforced on the Palestinian civilian population by the Israeli forces.

In the Tel Rumeida and Shuhada Street area in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), receiving visits from family must sound something like a distant dream. A dream that will never come true. Since the area was declared a ‘closed military zone’ by Israeli forces in November 2015, any Palestinian that is not registered at the checkpoint, is not allowed to come into the area. The residents have been assigned numbers that are used to identify by the Israeli forces whether or not they are (theoretically) allowed to pass the checkpoint and reach their homes.

Surprisingly, on the first day of Eid on Sunday, Israeli forces actually allowed family members to cross the checkpoint and visit their family-members imprisoned in this ‘closed military zone’. Whereas the joy about the unexpected visits has been enormous – it is dimmed by knowing that this will be the only visit for at least a year. The unexpected visitors though, had to report of long queues, they had to give the name and the sure-name of the registered residents they are visiting at the checkpoint, and very strict ‘checks’ at the checkpoint. It has not been announced that any non-residents would be allowed to pass, instead of turned back just like it happens so often. Many that didn’t know, didn’t try.

Long queues outside Shuhada checkpoint on Eid

For Palestinians who had their lives incarcerated in this ‘closed military zone’, even the joy of suddenly and finally having family come for a visit, is still always strictly linked to the knowledge that the Israeli forces restrictions are only meant to drive them out of the area, to make life so hard and unbearable for them, that they would just use. It’s always connected to the simple fact that their fault is simply: being Palestinian.

Iftar on the Rubble

14th June 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Jerusalem, occupied Palestine

Seventy people gathered in the Sur Baher neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem for a communal solidarity Iftar on the rubble of the home of Ashraf and Islam Fawaqa.

The Fawaqa home was one of nine Palestinian homes and 3 stores that were demolished on May 4th, 2017 in occupied East Jerusalem. Home demolition is a strategic policy of Israel that is integral to their Judaization of Jerusalem and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

Nurredin Amro, who is blind and the principal of Siraj Al Quds School for Inclusive Education spoke about his family being awakened at four in the morning in March 2015 when their house in Wadi Joz was being demolished while they were inside. “It was the most terrible thing that I have ever experienced. A home demolition is the demolition of a person. It is not just stone that is destroyed it is the demolition of the human spirit.”

Iftar guests listen to the information and personal stories with home demolition

Nora Lester Murad, one of the volunteer organisers of the event stated: “We want to express our solidarity with the tens of thousands of Palestinian families whose homes have been demolished, sealed, or who live every day under the imminent threat of demolition. We feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of need these families have, by the apparent impossibility of stopping future demolitions, and by our own sense of powerlessness. It seemed the least we could do to show these families – families who are on the frontline of the continuing Nakba – that they have allies.”

Islam and Ashraf talked about the uncertain future of their young family who now live in a temporary caravan on the site where their home once stood, even this caravan which is insufficient to keep their children, including their new born baby, warm in the winter, is in danger of being demolished.

Munir Nusseibeh, of the Al Quds Community Action Center, explained the excuses used by the occupation authorities for demolishing Palestinian homes. “Some homes are demolished because the occupation authorities claim they have no building permits, but it is virtually impossible for a Palestinian resident of occupied East Jerusalem to receive a permit. The permit system is setup to benefit the Israeli settlers and not to serve the needs of the Palestinians of the city. Some homes are demolished as collective punishment because one of the members of the family is accused of a crime. But no matter the excuse, home demolitions by the occupying power are illegal under international law.”

At the time of the call for the evening prayer food donated by members of the community as well as local businesses, such as the Jerusalem Hotel, La vie Cafe from Ramallah, The Tanour and Abu Zahra supermarkets was shared. At least for this evening the families were not alone in facing the uncertainty of their future.

Iftar on the Rubble: guests break the fast with Palestinian families that had their house demolished by the Israeli Forces

The impossibility to know – navigating the (psychological) siege of Hebron

8th July 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Israeli forces during the last week of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan have increased and stepped up restrictions for Palestinians in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron). Thus they are severely limiting Palestinians possibilities to exercise their religion during this most important month in the Muslim calendar, and on a large scale to celebrate the second most important feast, Id il-Fiter, marking the end of Ramadan.

Despite most of the checkpoints in the old city of al-Khalil a maze of restrictions, harassment and intimidation by Israeli forces on daily basis, the restrictions were stepped up even more at the end of Ramadan, enforcing age limit barring any Palestinian between 15-30 from accessing the area around the Ibrahimi Mosque. But it is not just the actual physical occupation, but even more the psychological occupation imposed by the Israeli forces. Whereas the age-restriction in theory is implemented at all three checkpoints allowing to access the Ibrahimi Mosque area, it was only implemented on some days, at some hours, by some soldiers. Thus, trying to reach the mosque for prayer during Ramadan, or visiting family during Eid, no Palestinian would ever be able to tell whether or not they would be allowed. Is the trip to the checkpoint even worth trying, or would Israeli forces deny a person in that age-group anyways? Or would they let a youth within this age-group pass anyways, but then arbitrarily decide to deny another person? Even worse, as a Palestinian, one can never tell whether, even if just on the way to quickly buy groceries from the store close-by, one would ever come back home, as arbitrary arrests are common, as are attacks by settlers. Due to this arbitrariness and the Israeli forces’ complete impunity, one would never be able to tell, whether or not one is be allowed to pass one single checkpoint – and coming from most directions to reach Ibrahimi Mosque at least three different checkpoints have to be navigated.

Similarly, the complete closure of most of the entries and exits of al-Khalil, has been arbitrarily imposed in the first place, and then arbitrarily managed, opening some of the checkpoints for maybe a few hours, but then closing it again, denying anyone from passing. South Hebron suddenly, the last night of Ramadan, and thus the beginning of the 3-day festival of Eid, was declared a ‘closed military zone’, denying any Palestinian to leave or access the area. This happened on the night, where most people were out, celebrating the start of Eid after 30 days of fasting during Ramadan, doing shopping.

On the morning of Wednesday 6th July, the first day of Eid, where Palestinians traditionally go and visit all their family, Israeli forces set up additional checkpoints at most exits of al-Khalil and the surrounding villages, deliberately slowing down the holiday-traffic. In the Tel Rumeida neighborhood, that was entirely closed as a closed military zone for more than six months, families marked a sharp increase in visitors as Israeli forces seemed to have managed to create an atmosphere of fear that stopped Palestinians from visiting their families even during this important holiday. Especially young men – a common target of extrajudicial executions by Israeli forces during the last months – simply didn’t want to risk crossing Shuhada checkpoint, with their family stating that they don’t want yet another Palestinian, a family member, gunned down by Israeli forces without a reason, but with complete impunity.

Additionally to the physical obstacles, that with no doubt are manifold and literally create a maze at times impossible to navigate for any Palestinian, the psychological occupation, the technique of wearing people down, trying to break their will, needs to be taken into consideration. Can you imagine not ever being able to know what will happen, whether you’ll come back home, even if just out for five minutes? This daily insecurity, the inability to ever plan, or even feel safe inside one’s own home, is deliberately forced on Palestinians by the Israeli forces. Rather than a by-product of the occupation, it is a deliberate strategy that amounts to psychological torture in the every-day lives of Palestinians. Despite the ongoing and intensified attempts by Israeli forces to step up on either of these two forms of apartheid-measures and collective punishment of the Palestinian population in attempts to create a coercive environment that in the end would lead to a forced displacement of Palestinians, the Palestinians remain steadfast and defy these attempts at ethnic cleansing.