Tag: Salfit

IWPS: Israeli army imposes curfew as settlers raid the village of Kafr ad Dik

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

Date of incident: September 27th – September 28th 2008
Place: Kafr ad Dik, Salfit
Witness/es: Residents of Kafr ad Dik and IWPS volunteers

At approximately 4:00 in the morning on September 27th, the Israeli army entered the Salfit village of Kafr ad Dik and imposed a curfew. According to residents of the village, soldiers forcibly entered a number of homes, but after a few hours left the village. It is unclear whether or not they lifted the curfew.

According to media reports, these events were preceded by an incident west of Kafr ad Dik near the settlement of Ale Zahav, where Palestinian gunmen reportedly opened fire on a settler driving his car.

At approximately 9:30 that evening, around 100 settlers from the nearby settlements Ale Zahav and Pedu’el entered Kafr ad Dik on foot. According to eye witnesses, some of the settlers were accompanied by dogs and some were also armed. Residents of Kafr ad Dik state that five Israeli army jeeps returned to their village at approximately the same time as the settlers entered.

Marching along two parallel roads into Kafr ad Dik, the settlers reportedly hurled stones and rocks at the residents’ homes and cars, causing considerable damage to at least 16 houses and ten vehicles, including six trucks and two tractors. Apart from shattering windows and mirrors, the stones and rocks destroyed two families’ solar panels and hit Kafr ad Dik residents, causing minor injuries.

According to eyewitnesses, the Israeli army did not intervene to deter the settlers’ raid; instead, they renewed curfew at around 10:00 pm to prevent the Palestinians from leaving their houses.

When some residents of Kafr ad Dik challenged the curfew and went outside to defend their property, the Israeli army responded by throwing sound grenades and shooting tear gas canisters, rubber bullets and live ammunition.

During these confrontations, at least six people between the ages of 13 and 37 were injured by rubber bullets, sound grenades and physical assaults by soldiers. Three persons had to be taken to Salfit hospital by ambulances.

It is important to note that apart from these physical injuries, a great number of especially older people and young children suffered from severe stress and anxiety, caused by both the settler attack and the army’s actions.

After approximately an hour, the settlers left the village of Kafr ad Dik; according to the Israeli army’s Humanitarian Office, they tried to continue their raid in the nearby village of Al Lubban al Gharbi.

The army maintained its presence in the village until the early morning of September 28th. IWPS volunteers witnessed army jeeps infrequently patrolling the road that was earlier used by the settlers, throwing sound grenades, and firing flares and tear gas at the youth in the streets.

Demonstration in Wadi Qana against Israeli system of apartheid

On 21st June, approximately 100 residents of the Qalqiliya region, as well as international and Israeli activists, and six Palestinian officials, joined the residents of Wadi Qana, a small village on the Qalqiliya/Salfit border, surrounded by seven illegal Israeli settlements, to protest against the system of apartheid that has stolen their land and water; demolished their houses; and destroyed their livelihoods.

Israeli soldiers initially attempted to prevent the demonstrators from reaching the village by blocking the single access road to the village, in an attempt to prevent the protesters from showing solidarity with the village. The villager’s protest took the form of a small festival, with children playing traditional Palestinian music, and singing traditional songs.

The demonstration was designed to highlight the difficulties of life in Wadi Qana, where 33 of the 40 houses that once existed there have been demolished by the Israeli army, and villagers are subject to special building orders that in effect prevent any building from taking place at all – even sheds for animals. The remaining seven houses have been issued with house demolition orders from Israeli authorities.

Wadi Qana was once an important site for water for Palestinians, where for hundreds of years people from far around would come to wash their clothes and collect water. Now, the village has to purchase water from the Israeli company “Makarot”, because all of their water sources have been either intentionally destroyed by the surrounding settlers, who have polluted wells with raw sewage; or because those sites have simply been stolen by the illegal Israeli settlements. In the rare instances where there are still viable wells available for Palestinian use, those sources are fiercely guarded by armed settlers, who attack any Palestinian who attempts to use them.

Settlers also attack Palestinians who attempt to enter what lands they have left – often setting dogs onto them. The result is that the villagers, who were once dependent on their livestock, are now forced to keep only greatly reduced numbers of animals close to their houses. Villagers also report that the settlers cut down their trees on a daily basis.

While the Israeli army does not itself invade the village on a regular basis, they do regularly accompany the settlers in their attacks, standing by doing nothing to prevent the attacks taking place.

The worst, however, has not yet come for the village of Wadi Qana, as the Israeli authorities have concrete plans to build a wall around the settlements, trapping the villagers in a “closed area”, preventing their freedom of movement. This is clearly part of a larger plan to eventually evacuate the village entirely – forcing the Palestinians from their land.

The 50 remaining residents, however, are determined to stay in their village, and will continue to hold demonstrations and solidarity tours to bring the area to public attention, in an attempt to save their village.

Residents of Deir Istiya prevented from planting olive trees on their land by Israeli forces

On 30th May 2008 residents of the village of Deir Istiyia in the Salfit region, as well as Israeli and international activists, attempted to plant 50 olive trees in the Palestinian-owned land where the illegal Israeli settlement of Revava is attempting to expand its borders.

The illegal settlement began construction last week, illegally and without any consultation. Villagers were able to temporarily halt the construction work on Monday 26th May by confronting the construction workers and Israeli settlers, who were subsequently ordered by the Israeli police to stop work or face a fine of up to one thousand shekels. Construction has since continued, and while villagers are currently fighting the expansion through the Israeli District Coordination Office – proving ownership of the land through maps and title deeds – they are also attempting to prevent the work from taking place while this is in process.

At 11am approximately fifteen activists, including the farmers who own the land, residents of the village, Rabbis for Human Rights, Anarchists Against the Wall and internationals, attempted to enter the disputed lands in order to plant the trees that were donated by Rabbis for Human Rights. Israeli soldiers quickly appeared and declared the area a “Closed Military Zone”, with documents highlighting the entire area, including the road adjacent to the disputed lands. Soldiers then threatened to arrest the activists if they did not immediately vacate the area – detaining one Israeli for attempting to carry an olive tree with him as he left, after soldiers had threatened to destroy the trees. The truck driver who delivered the trees was also fined 250 shekels for parking on the roadside. He was then threatened with another one-thousand shekel fine if he did not remove the trees from the area and take them back with him.

Fifteen more activists arrived, including the mayor of Deir Istiyia, Jamal Abu Fares, but were quickly forced from the area under threat of arrest. At least ten men from the village were forced to walk more than 40 minutes back to the village, as Israeli soldiers refused to let them return by the road.

Three hours later, Israeli jeeps entered the village of Deir Istiyia, and harassed the local, Israeli and international activists who were still present there.

The residents have vowed to continue fighting against the illegal settlement expansion with further actions to stop the construction work from taking place, as well as by pursuing legal avenues.

IWPS: Palestinian farmers stop work on settlement expansion near Deir Istiya

To view IWPS website click here

On Thursday, May 15th 2008, farmers from Deir Istiya noticed bulldozers and diggers working on their land close to the illegal Israeli settlement Revava. As they investigated closer, it became clear that the Municipality of the settlement had employed a private construction company to raze land for a new housing unit for the settlement. At least 200 dunums belonging two 10 families from Deir Istiya are effected so far. The land is partially planted with olive and tamarind trees. It is also used for grazing and collecting wild plants. However, Israeli settlers and army have prevented Palestinian farmers from planting their land close to the settlement since the late 1990s.

In the days following their discovery the farmers from Deir Istiya organized to gather the legal papers that prove their ownership and filed a complaint with the Palestinian DCL (District Coordination Liaison). As a result, the work stopped for a couple of days. However, on Monday morning, the 26.05.2008, a digger began once more to raze their land. About ten farmers spontaneously went to physically stop the work themselves. The digger driver stopped working as they approached and a discussion ensued between the farmers, the officials of the construction company, Israeli security personal and the Mayor of Revava. Two team members of IWPS and two women from the Israeli group, Yesh Din, who where called by the farmers, joined in about an hour later. The Israeli DCO (District Coordination Office) was informed right away, but took almost three hours to arrive. At that point the mayor had ordered the worker to start digging again, arguing it would cost him too much to pay for the construction company while continuing to wait for the DCO. He even threatened one of the farmers to file a law suite against him for the extra costs caused by their disruption. He also claimed to be a “gentleman” unlike the Palestinian farmers, who’d better file a legal complaint at the appropriate legal institutions instead of disrupting the work in such an uncourteous manner. In response, one farmer said that it is their land getting destroyed and that they not only already filed an official complain but also want a compensation for the damage already done.

The Palestinian farmers refrained from physically blocking the digger and waited for the DCO to arrive. However, Captain Rafi from the DCO finally arrived, he did not order the work to stop, but argued the Palestinian farmers first have to bring the papers supporting their claims. He then retreated into his jeep in order not to have to discuss with the farmers or the international and Israeli activists. A farmer went back to the village to bring some of the papers and the Palestinian DCL in Salfit was also informed to come with the documents already given to them. As Captain Rafi repeatedly ignored requests to stop the digger from creating new facts on the ground before it is clarified who is the owner of the land, the farmers lost their patience and courageously blocked the digger with their bodies. After a short stand off the DCO official finally ordered the work to be stopped, but the constructor just send the digger to continue its work at another place a couple of hundred meter away closer to the settlement.

Finally, Israeli police arrived and took the ID details of both, one of the farmers and the Israeli constructor. Once the Palestinian DCL officials arrived, the work was ordered temporally ceased until the Israeli DCO assesses the different papers provided by the Palestinian farmers and Revava municipality.

As the farmers do not trust this temporary victory will keep for long and have little trust in getting their rights protected by the Israeli authorities, they are planning to closely monitor the construction side and, if necessary block the bulldozers with their bodies again. As an act of defiance and to assert their ownership rights, they also plan to plant olive trees on the razed land.

Israeli Army Invades Marda, Imposes Curfew, Arrests 2

At about 10 AM today, Monday, March 31, 2008, the Israeli army invaded the village of Marda, in the Sulfiet region of the West Bank. After invading, the army immediately announced curfew on the entire village, thus prohibiting all residents from leaving their homes, opening their shops, or leaving the village.

Marda lies at the base of the hill on which the illegal Israeli settlement of Ariel is built. The village has only two entrances, and just one of those is accessible by car. Fences surround Marda on three sides and the fourth side, the one facing Ariel, there is a wall. Marda is further isolated as it is the only Palestinian village to the north of the main road in that area. Due to its proximity to Ariel and its isolation from other villages, Marda has faced an exceptionally high number of military invasions throughout the years.

Today, the Israeli soldiers confiscated the keys to several cars belonging to Marda residents, at least three of these cars were confiscated near the one entrance to the village through which cars are allowed to pass. Residents also report that two people were arrested: a 15-year old boy and a farmer working in his field during the curfew. Their status is currently unknown.

For the first hour of the curfew at least one home in the village was occupied, with soldiers stationed on the roof. Witnesses also report hearing live ammunition fired several times throughout the day: first about twenty minutes after the curfew was imposed and again in the early evening.

At around 3-4 PM residents of the village were walking in the streets and somewhat able to move around. However, soldiers were still stationed at the main entrance to the village, not allowing anyone to enter or exit. At 8:30 PM there were again Israeli military vehicles driving through the streets of Marda, announcing continued curfew. The village has yet to be given a reason for this invasion or any idea as to how long it may last.