Tag: Ramallah

Two Reports From Qalandiya Checkpoint

Fifty People Detained at Qalandiya Checkpoint

from brightonpalestine.org, 16th October

I passed through Qalandiya checkpoint today on the way back to Hebron.

As the bus reached the Ramallah side of the “terminal” the passengers got out and walked towards the pedestrian gates. When I had passed the turnstiles I saw that around fifty Palestinians were waiting at the checkpoint. To get to the Jerusalem side they had to walk through another turnstile, put their possessions through a metal detector and follow instructions shouted at them from Israeli soldiers sitting behind reinforced glass. The soldiers behind the screens control whether this area is open or closed. As I entered, the area was closed and an old man was isolated between the turnstiles with the soldiers.

The soldiers behind the glass barked instructions at him in Hebrew and in English through a crackly microphone. Either the old man was hard of hearing or could not understand either of these languages. The soldiers told him to put his wallet and ID card on top of the metal detector. The confused man tried to put his things through the metal detector and was met by a shout from the soldiers.

By this time the number of people waiting to go through was increasing rapidly. The people waiting tried to shout to the man and explain to him what to do. The man became increasingly confused and tried to come closer to us so that we could explain. He was called back by the soldiers.

Eventually the man was able to do what the soldiers wanted and proceeded through the metal detector to the second set of turnstiles and to the Jerusalem side of the terminal.

The number of people waiting was still increasing but the soldiers took their time until there was a huge frustrated, angry crowd on the Ramallah side. It included a frail man, recovering from an eye operation, who got caught in the metal turnstiles as the soldiers operated them from behind the glass.

This kind of humiliation is an everyday, banal occurence at Qalandiya checkpoint for those with permits to pass through. For others, Qalandiya, flanked on either side by the apartheid wall and other checkpoints, separates them from their family and friends whilst keeping them confined in ghettos.

The Wall Must Fall

——

Inside Qalandiya Checkpoint on the 3rd Friday of Ramadan

from the Machsom Watch mailing list. by Roni H, 13th October 2006

When we arrived at 9:20 at Qalandiya and heard the shooting of tear gas and stun grenades, I called the Civil Administration’s hot line and received the succinct answer: “when Arabs run riot, the army has to shoot “.

Inside the checking area hell was breaking loose. About 600-700 densely packed Palestinians (maybe even more) and dozens of soldiers. It was difficult to breathe in the crowd that pushed against the turnstiles. The soldiers waited on the other side of the turnstiles and caught every man who looked younger than 45, checked his ID and pushed him back to the north. The impression was of a gigantic wrestling match, with the soldiers carrying clubs in addition to their usual arms. Some of the men tried six times to pass and six times they were sent back. Even to those who were already 44 no “discount” was given.

The uproar was enormous when the loudspeakers announced at 9:30 that “only women and man above 45 can pass. Permits are not valid because of the closure”. Several men turned to me, shouting excitedly: “Yesterday they announced in the media that men over 40 and holders of entry permits to Israel will be able to get through and now, when we have come all the way from Nablus and have passed 6 checkpoints they change the rules!”, “Is this the way you respect freedom of religion?”, “What do I have an entry permit for, when they do not respect it when there is closure. More that half of the year there is closure!”, “Only once a year we want to pray at the Al Aqsa mosque and also this is forbidden! Why is a man of thirty excluded from the prayer?”, “Is this the way you want to make peace?”, “We’ll never forgive you for not letting us pray at the holy mosque in Ramadan”. I could ! sense a wave of hatred rolling through the crowd.

When I heard the midday [Israeli] news later that day, I could not believe my ears: “Men over 40 and holders of entry permits were allowed into Jerusalem.”

The “waiting room” was crowded with hundreds of people, when at 10:00 about 20 border policemen entered, positioned themselves along the back side of the room and tried to push the younger men out of the checkpoint area. Some of them pretended to be on their way out, but made instead a fast U-turn and returned behind the soldiers.

A man with an eight year old child told me that his 10 year old has been lost and that he might be already on the other side waiting for him. I tried to call somebody from the police (although it was useless under this circumstances and it was impossible to hear one’s own voice) but realized that now I have lost this man in the crowd and could not find him again.

Because of the jostle, women could not get to the turnstiles and gathered at the left side of the fence separating the waiting from the checking area. We tried all together to call the attention of the soldiers so that they will give them an alternative way to pass through. Women in wheelchairs and women with small babies were afraid to be crushed by the crowd. At last, at 10:10 a passage on the left hand side was opened for the women and quite a number of them could get through. Their teenage sons though, if they looked over 15, were sent back. Several men tried to join the women but the soldiers screamed at them and pushed them back brutally. In order to frighten the people with a terrible piercing sound the soldiers were beating the metal walls of the passage with their clubs. Nothing helped. Everyone wanted to go through. At 10:30 this passage was closed.

In the meantime, some border policemen had positioned themselves at the entrance to the waiting area and did not let anybody in who appeared to be less than 45. Time was running out. The prayers were to start at 12:00 and the way to the old city is long and rife with additional checkpoints. Even men with Jerusalem IDs could not make their way to the turnstiles where hundreds of people were still crowded. They did not give up hope that at the last moment the gates to Jerusalem will be opened. To express their protest against the holdup they broke out into the chant “God is the greatest”.

Twenty border policemen came menacingly from one man to the other and checked their IDs. When they came across a male younger than 45 they tried to push them out of the checkpoint area – without much success. The men were adamant. Outside, a cordon of soldiers alongside the parking lot prevented the entry of additional Palestinians. Nevertheless there were men who got through the cordon and then through the entrance check and then even through the first turnstile only in order to be sent back at the last station! The anger was growing. “Israel understands only force and violence!”, “Just imagine that only one of all these thousands of people will loose his nerves and become violent!”. At 11:15 three shots were heard from outside. Because of the late hour some people were left frustrated and sad. At 11:30 a group of about 30 soldiers started again to beat against the metal walls of the waiting room, making a frightening noise and to swing their clubs over the heads of the people. Followed by the threatening soldiers they ran out in fear from the blows. All of a sudden the checkpoint was empty.

Next Friday, the last one in Ramadan, the unequal battle between civilians whose only desire is to pray at the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Israeli army who want to control the religious life of the Palestinians, will be even more vehement.

Israeli army invades Ramallah, captures 4 Palestinians

by Iman

On Tuesday October 10th at 6:30 pm, Israeli Occupation Forces entered Lower Ramallah shooting their way through the city. One ISM volunteer on the scene reported having witnessed at least 9 Army Jeeps as well as a bulldozer. The ISM volunteer was not allowed near where the soldiers were trying to detain Palestinians. Israeli Jeeps glared their spotlight directly at her warning her to not approach any further. The scene was near the Arab Bank in Lower Ramallah. She reported hearing endless rounds of ammunition fire, sound grenades and single sniper shots apparently aimed at intended targets. Palestinian boys chanted nationalistic songs near the scene but remained well hidden and out of harm’s way. There were no reports of fatalities, but one Palestinian man has been injured. The seriousness of the injury is not yet known.

Palestinians gathered in the streets as well as on their balconies and rooftops, occasionally ducking or hiding from nearby shooting. The scene was very dangerous and Ramallah was left littered with rubble and empty bullet shells, a scene Ramallah has not witnessed since Israel invaded on September the 8th, kidnapping an entire family.

At 7:25 pm the Army jeeps began to retreat and hundreds began following the jeeps deeper into the buildings in order to reach the families whose sons were taken. The ISM volunteer reached the house that 3 brothers were aggressively dragged out of and into Israeli custody. The scene left a mother wailing and sisters sobbing. Other women present were screaming that “We will not let Israel win, we will not surrender”. One women of the family needed medical assistance as she was severely exhausted from crying. Television crews were filming the grieving families whose son’s fate has yet to be known.

The bulldozer was reportedly not used to demolish any buildings. Israeli Border Police were present which leads us to believe that their presence had no purpose other than to be prepared for an international presence (the ISM Media office is in Lower Ramallah, near the Arab Bank). While retreating, Israeli Hummers and Jeeps shone their spotlights all around them.

The approximate hour long Israeli shooting in Ramallah left one Palestinian injured and 4 in Israeli prisons, including Assam Bahdadi who was “wanted” by the Israelis. Fortunately no one was killed, at least this time around.

For more information:
Iman 054 786 7142
ISM Office 02 297 1824

Haaretz: Israeli “Law as Roadkill on Highway 443”

by Akiva Eldar, September 26th

The masses of Israelis who regularly travel to Jerusalem via Modi’in are familiar with the large cement cubes near the signs that indicate the approach roads to the Palestinian villages on either side of the main road known as Highway 443. Anyone who bothers to look to the sides will be able to see, beyond the cubes, at the side of the ride, cars bearing Palestinian Authority license plates. Those who have sharp eyes will be able to descry the passengers climbing up and down the hills.

Few are aware that for six years now, ever since the outbreak of the intifada, the highway has been serving Israelis only. Palestinians are forbidden to travel even along the segment that is nine and a half kilometers long and passes through West Bank territory, including lands that have been confiscated and where trees have been cut down “for public needs.” Israel Defense Forces soldiers ensure that only lucky people who have been granted a temporary permit can enjoy the shortcut.

Now it emerges that there is no order that can give legal validity to discrimination among travels according to nationality. In reply to a question from Haaretz, the IDF Spokesman has confirmed that “in light of the many security risks and threats to traffic on Highway 443 in recent years, it was decided in the Israel Defense Forces Central Command to close several approach roads that connect directly from the village expanse to the highway.” At the same time, the spokesman stresses that “no order has been issued that prohibits travel on the highway,” and in any case, “there is no prohibition on the part of the IDF regarding Palestinian traffic on the segment of the highway located in the territories of the Judea and Samaria [West Bank] area.” Nevertheless, in the same statement in which it is claimed that “there is no prohibition regarding Palestinian traffic on the Palestinian segment of the road,” it is also stated that because of the security risks, some of the approach roads that link the villages to the highway are closed “permanently.”

According to the statement, some of the other roads are open and “are closed in accordance with the assessment of the security situation.”

Attorney Limor Yehuda of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), who is preparing a petition to the High Court of Justice on the matter, sees the situation differently. According to her, most of the roads are usually closed, and from time to time special permission to use the road is given to a limited number of cars. Some of the approach roads have been blocked with boulders, others with concrete barriers, and there are those that have been closed with iron gates. A Palestinian driver who is caught on the road can expect a lengthy delay, a warning and a scare, and sometimes even the confiscation of the keys to the vehicle and also harsher sanctions. Last May ACRI applied to the GOC Central Command, Yair Naveh, on behalf of the heads of the village councils of Beit Sira, Beit Likiyeh, Hirbet al-Masbah, Beit ‘Ur al Tahta, Beit ‘Ur al Fuqa and Tsaffeh. Yehuda noted that Highway 443 is the main approach road that links the 25,000 inhabitants of the six villages to the main city in the area, Ramallah, and serves as a link among these villages.

A month later people from the Civil Administration came to the village of Beit Sira and proposed to the council head, ‘Ali Abu Tsafya, that transit permits be granted to a number of taxi owners from the village. He insisted that the highway be opened to all of the inhabitants of the village, as had been the case in the past. The visitors promised to organize a meeting with one of the responsible senior officers. Since then no one has called and Major General Naveh has not replied to the letter.

Yehuda wrote that following the blockage of the approach to the highway, the inhabitants have had to use back roads, some of them dirt roads, that pass through the villages and wind through the narrow lanes. As a result of this, trips in the area have become prolonged, dangerous and costly. Instead of a trip of a quarter of an hour in comfortable conditions on Highway 443 from the village of Beit Sira to Betunya and from there to Ramallah, the inhabitants have to wind their way along dirt roads that become impassable on winter days. The cost of the trip has more than doubled and many of the inhabitants of the villages are unable to bear the costs.

This is not a matter of preventing Palestinians from entering territories on the Israeli side of the Green Line (the pre-Six Day War border), but rather of a road that is located entirely in the area of the West Bank. At the two entrances to the territory of the state of Israel there are roadblocks that are permanently manned by soldiers (the Maccabim roadblock and the Atarot Junction roadblock). When lands of the six villages were confiscated in the 1980s and the 1990s, it was explained to the inhabitants that widening the road was essential for the needs of the inhabitants of the entire area. Including their needs, of course. In response to the petition to the High Court of Justice concerning the confiscation of lands for purposes of paving a road in the Ramallah area, the state argued that the planning “took into account the conditions and needs of the area and not only Israel’s conditions and needs.” Based on that principled commitment, Justice Aharon Barak rejected the petition in September 1983, and issued a ruling in principle that the rules of international public law grant the right to a military government to infringe on property rights if a number of conditions are fulfilled. The first of these conditions: “The step is taken for the benefit of the local population.”

Olive Harvest 2006

Your presence is needed for the Olive Harvest 2006 in Palestine!

Palestinian communities are calling for the presence of international activists to support them in the 2006 Olive Harvest. Throughout the West Bank and Gaza, Palestinian land continues to be stolen for illegal Israeli colonies and the Apartheid Wall as well as settler roads, checkpoints, and closed military zones.

Since October 2000, hundreds of thousands of olive trees have been bulldozed, uprooted, or burned by the Israeli military and Israeli settler colonists. The olive tree has been a native symbol for Palestinians for hundreds of years. As well as a source of livelihood and a symbol of the people’s bond to their land, the olive tree is also a powerful symbol of cooperation between peoples.

Cooperative actions between internationals and Palestinians have concentrated around the olive tree. Palestinian communities remain steadfast and are strengthened in refusing to give up their olive harvest. The solidarity offered by international activists enables many families to pick their olives and stay in their communities.

ISM will be providing training, media and legal support to international activists in response to the demand from local communities. Activists will use their creativity, determination and courage to support these communities at this important time of year. There is an especially big need for the campaign this year, as a big harvest is expected. Ground work has been done by ISM activists in the Nablus region on making contacts with at least 18 villages in the region who would like to have international accompaniment because of dangers they will face from Israeli colonists, and obstruction and harassment from the Israeli army. Many of these villages have worked with internationals before.

An international presence makes it less likely that Palestinian farmers and landowners will be met with brutal and sometimes lethal violence as they care for their land and harvest their olives.

The Olive Harvest Campaign, part of the people’s non-violent resistance to the occupation, will begin 15th October and last until the middle of December. Some villages have expressed a desire for internationals from mid-October although most villages we have contacted will start picking after the three day religious holiday of Eid il Fitr, which is expected to be from October 25-27. The majority of villages will be picking during November. The first Olive Harvest orientation and training will be held on October 15th and 16th and will continue every Sunday and Monday until the end of the Olive Harvest. During Eid il Fitr there will be no olive picking. Olive harvesting is expected to be finished by the middle of December. Please contact Hisham at hishamjamjoum@yahoo.com for questions about training.

Please register to join us at: palsolidarity.org
For more information, please contact info@palsolidarity.org
or see: palsolidarity.org

Important Notes

  • It is recommended that you stay for at least two weeks, though if this is not possible, your presence anytime throughout the duration of the campaign is appreciated.
  • As a guide, it will cost you approximately $100 per week for food, accommodation and travel in Palestine.
  • The two-day training and orientation is mandatory for activists participating in the non-violent resistance including the Olive Harvest.

Updated 14th September: the paragraph in this call about dates has been updated and clarified.

Ongoing Campaigns

In the meantime, we also invite internationals to join our on-going efforts to support Palestinian non-violent resistance all over the West Bank. In recent months Israeli aggression has increased in the West Bank whilst more international attention has been focused on Israeli atrocities in Lebanon and Gaza.

Palestinians in the Tel Rumeida district of Hebron suffer some of the worst settler violence in the West Bank. There has been an international presence in Tel Rumeida for 1 1/2 years. Activists who have attended ISM training have a permanent presence in the international apartment in Tel Rumeida. The work there involves accompanying Palestinian schoolchildren to school and protecting them from and documenting attacks by settlers. Internationals also maintain a presence on the streets in the settlement to document and intervene in the regular settler attacks on local Palestinian residents.

Israeli settler colonists in other areas in the Hebron region also frequently attack and intimidate Palestinian farmers. This involves physical assaults or the destruction of farmland. As with the Olive Harvest the presence of internationals enables farmers to work their land. This summer, internationals supported farmers in this way around Beit Omar village. Although the Wall has been largely built in the northern West Bank and around Jerusalem, land is currently being destroyed for the route of the Wall in the south of the West Bank, in the Bethlehem and Hebron regions. Internationals have supported weekly demonstrations against the Wall this summer in Al Khadr village west of Bethlehem as well as participating in actions around Karme Zur settlement between Halhoul and Beit Omar. There will be continuous non-violent resistance to land theft and the destruction of olive trees, vines and other agricultural land in the Hebron region.

In Bil’in village west of Ramallah, the illegal Apartheid Wall has stolen over half of the village’s agricultural land. Internationals have supported their 1 1/2 year struggle against the Wall which has focused around weekly Friday demonstrations. Internationals aim to maintain a permanent presence in the village which has been targeted by Israeli forces for its non-violent resistance.

Training Dates

We hold trainings every Sunday and Monday if there are at least 5 people. Please contact Hisham at hishamjamjoum@yahoo.com for questions about training.

Update, 7th October

See this post on our site for a more detailed plan for the Olive Harvest 2006.

Update, 16th October

Read about the recent ruling in the Israeli Sureme Court that orders the Israeli military and police to protect Palestinian farmers from settlers. See coverage of the ruling in the Israeli media: in Ha’aretz and the Jerusalem Post. See also this investigative article in Ha’aretz which brings up evidence that suggests the Israeli army will not live up to their promises. Compare also with reports from the early Olive Harvest (i.e. before Eid, which is likely to be either the 22nd or 23rd of October).

Forgetting the Occupation, Almost

by Daniela

I was staring out the window of my office today, looking down from the seventh floor of this building that is also a shopping mall in the middle of Ramallah. I was watching a group of cab drivers sitting on stools in front of their cars, sipping tea and blasting music. All the stores were open, and it seemed as though the entire city had decided to go shopping on their lunch break. If I leaned far out the window I could probably see the “Stars and Bucks Cafe” down the road, but I wasn’t going to risk it from this height.

Staring down at the roofs of apartments I noticed that they all had satellite TV attachments along with the black tanks that hold each family’s water. Two girls were goofing around in the middle of the street, clearly trying to get the attention of the fifteen-year-old boy that was trailing behind. They looked like any teenager: low rise jeans, trendy t-shirts, hoop earrings, and purses that were far too adult for them to be holding. I glanced back at my tea-drinking cab drivers just as one of them was standing up to stretch. His angle changed, revealing one missing leg and a limp hanging arm. My mind flashed back to pictures I had seen of this city, only a few years back when it was under 24-hour curfew and saturated with Israeli tanks. It’s hard to believe it, looking down on the busy streets now with its citizens dancing around in the daily business of life. Every time I begin to feel comfortable in this city, every time I being to forget that I’m living in an occupied land, all the pain of Palestine that Ramallah’s glitter and glisten manages to conceal comes seeping up to the surface.

I am living in “Area A” of Palestine, where tanks and soldiers do not frolic about as they do in the villages. These days most of Palestine is going hungry, but it seems as though the country has pumped all the money it has into the city of Ramallah. It’s been leaving me with the false impression that Palestinians could live their lives free of oppression if they isolate themselves only to the cities.

The other day I was talking with my friend about Bethlehem and how long the journey is from Ramallah, even though it’s very nearby. He said to me, “I love Bethlehem, but no way will I go there now. Why would I want to travel through all of those checkpoints and have a [seeming] 15-year-old point his gun in my face and decided if I can pass. I’d rather stay here.” I guess the reality of the occupation is unavoidable, no matter where you hide.

For two days now, I have come to the office and immersed myself in reading about the intricacies of the Israeli military court system, and the life that Palestinian prisoners must endure. So much of what I read seems miles away, but in reality it’s right in front of my face. Two days ago, the mother of one of our organization’s clients died. He has been imprisoned for a number of years and the lawyers petitioned for his release to attend the funeral. Unsurprisingly, their request was denied. While Israeli prisoners are permitted to speak with their families, receive visitors on a regular basis, and even take a “vacation” to attend weddings and funerals, this man was not even permitted to call his family’s home in order to give his condolences.

Last night my friends and I drove outside the city center to spend a nice evening at an outdoor café. We drove up to the top of the hill and looked out over all of Ramallah. Our friend pointed to the large highway down below where only Israeli settlers are permitted to drive and then directed my attention to Ofer Military Camp. This is one of 27 detention centers where Palestinian prisoners are being held, five of which are located in the West Bank. I had just read that afternoon that prisoners in Ofer sleep in oil soaked hangers that were once used to store Israeli military vehicles.

Prisoners are often required to buy their own food, or to rely on their families to bring meals when they come to visit. However, most prisoners can’t afford to purchase food, and all family members have been forbidden to visit their sons and daughters since the capture of one Israeli soldier in Gaza several months back. My new employers explained to me that forcing detainees to buy their own food from the prison canteens is only one of many ways that the Israeli government profits off of the thousands of Palestinians that they have captured in recent years. Apparently prisoners are also forced to pay a fine for any small infractions that they commit, such as breaking a chair or yelling too loud in their cell. Palestinian prisoners have paid over 3 million dollars in fines just last year. I had always wondered how Israel could afford to carry out these arbitrary mass arrest campaigns. Now I know.

After a beautiful night at the café, I returned home to sip more tea on my balcony. Through a window, I could see my neighbor’s son watching TV and his mother washing dishes in the sink. The young kids in Ramallah were still out in the streets, undoubtedly heading off to a party or a bar. A large spotlight drifted across the city, following cars and shining into the windows of each home. I followed the beam to the top of the hill in the distance. There sits the Israeli settlement of Psgot, with its cluster of identically designed tan condominiums. Every night this week the police station inside the settlement has shined a spotlight down on Ramallah, and I’m sure it will continue every night that I am here. One more reminder that the fate of Ramallah does not belong to its citizens, or even to its municipality. Every time I trip over tank tracks while walking to work, I am forced out of my haze of normalcy. Every time I meet a new colleague only to be confronted with the bullet scars up and down his arms, I remember what it means to be Palestinian. And every time I head off to the beautiful city of Jerusalem for the weekend while my new friends are forced to remain home, I remember what drove me to come here.