Tag: Settlement - Page 25 - International Solidarity Movement

Arbitrary humiliation by Israeli forces in former closed military zone in Hebron

24th June 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

In occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), the Tel Rumeida neighborhood and the tiny strip of Shuhada Street still accessible to Palestinian pedestrians, has seen endless restrictions by Israeli forces.

After the area was first declared a ‘closed military zone’ on 1^st November 2015, Palestinian residents were put under a closure imposed as a form of collective punishment, denying them their most basic rights and even their humanity – degrading them to mere numbers. Only Palestinian residents registered with the Israeli forces as a number where allowed to reach their homes inside the closed military zone. At the same time, Israeli settlers were free to roam the streets and do as they please, without ever being stopped – a ‘normality’ under the apartheid-rule in occupied al-Khalil.

Despite the lifting of the zone, the stairs leading to Qurtuba school have remained closed for Palestinians. This not only cuts off the main access for all the families using these stairs to reach their homes, but also visitors to the Muslim cemetery and the weekly second hand market in Qarantina. On Friday, 24^th June, Israeli forces denied a Palestinian man walking down these stairs, on the grounds that he ‘is Palestinian’. Whereas first they allowed the man to go down the stairs and turn around the corner, they stopped him right after, ordering him to climb up the stairs again, as he’s not allowed to pass. Two internationals, on the other hand, when enquiring whether they have to go back now, were told that the man was only sent back because ‘he’s Palestinian’, but they clearly ‘were tourists’. The denial of access based on ethnicity clearly is an apartheid-strategy – allowing privileges to non-Palestinians only.

At Shuhada checkpoint, that leads from the tiny strip of Shuhada Street accessible to Palestinian pedestrians into the H1 area of al-Khalil, Israeli forces often delay Palestinians trying to pass. Early Friday morning, they yelled ‘uskut’ (Arabic for ‘shut up’) at Palestinians ringing the bell for them to open the turnstile – repeatedly. Once finally allowed to pass through the checkpoint, a settler youth was standing inside the checkpoint behind the bullet-proof window with the settlers, chatting with them and watching them check IDs. This illustrates the apartheid-policies enforced in al-Khalil – whereas Palestinians are harassed and intimidated, settlers are neighbours and friends – even allowed to be inside the checkpoint with the soldiers. In the early afternoon of the same day, soldiers arbitrarily decided to close the exit of the checkpoint, leading into the H1 neighborhood, claiming that ‘there’s a training’, but refusing to tell when this would be finished, forcing Palestinians to wait without any reason.

These measures are just some examples in a very tiny area within the H2 area under full Israeli military control, exemplifying the arbitrariness and every day humiliation enforced by the Israeli forces on the Palestinian population.

Breaking the Fast for Jo Cox in occupied Tel Rumeida, Hebron

22nd June 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On June 21st 2016, Youth Against Settlements (YAS) organized an Iftar dinner and Jen Cox memorial in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) with the attendance of several core solidarity organizations with the Palestinian people.

Organizations such as Breaking the Silence, Christian Peacemaker Teams Palestine (CPT), Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH), B’Tselem, International Solidarity Movement (ISM), Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) , Hebron Rehabilitation Committee (HRC), members of the Hebron municipality, consulars of different countries, students from Hebron University, and many other solidarity workers from different backgrounds and countries, as well as residents of the area managed to make their way through checkpoints and around illegal settlements.

Palestinians and internationals gathering for Iftar

As stressed by Issa Amro, Youth Against Settlements coordinator, the Tel Rumeida and Shuhada Street neighborhood are extremely vulnerable as Israeli settlers under the protection and with the help of Israeli forces are trying to take them over. After the area has been a closed military zone for more than six months, having that many people gather in this neighborhood due to the event organised by YAS, was an extremely important sign that the Palestinian sumoud, or steadfastness, will not be defeated by the Israeli forces attempts of forced displacement.

During the evening, people were served traditional food for iftar, muslim evening dinner to break the Ramadan fast, with the atmospheric sounds of the oud, and some speeches from the different organizations in memory of British Labour Party politician and human rights advocate Jo Cox, who was killed last Thursday following a constituency meeting. At the same time, the 15th of Ramadan, also commemorates the aniversary of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, when in 1994 Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein walked into Ibrahimi mosque and shot and killed 29 and injured more than 120 worshippers.

After a partial lifting of the closed military zone (CMZ), officially disguised as a full lifting,Palestinians as well as internationals were able to access the event. However, access-restriction in the H2 area only apply for Palestinians while settlers are free to move around as they please.

This gathering is of uttermost significance specially because organizations operating within the H2 region of occupied al-Khalil undergo constant harassment both by soldiers and settlers, and such a high-profile event comes with many risks. Two boys from the illegal settlements in Tel Rumeida approached the building and yelled islamophobic and racist slurs as people ate, but this did not stop attendees from continuing expressing their solidarity with the Palestinian people and light candles in the mourning and memory of Jo Cox at the end of the evening.

Continuous restrictions of the freedom of religion in Hebron

21st June 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Today, 21^st June 2016, Israeli forces delayed and stopped several Palestinians on their way to noon-prayer at Ibrahimi mosque in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron).

During the last few days, Israeli forces have been stopping, checking and delaying Palestinians at several checkpoints in the vicinity of Ibrahimi mosque in the old city of al-Khalil. At the Ibrahimi mosque checkpoint that leads from the Palestinian market to the Ibrahimi mosque area, Israeli forces delayed worshippers trying to get to the mosque for prayers, stalling the process making everything go extremely slow. Thus, long queues formed and people were forced to wait for a long time. In less than one hour, Israeli forces stopped 7 women to thoroughly inspect their bags and 3 men to check their IDs, sending one of them to the checkpoint at the mosque-entrance for further checks, forcing him to wait even longer. All of these checks are purely arbitrary, and Palestinians crossing checkpoints thus never know whether they will be stopped, questioned, detained or for how long they might be delayed.

Additionally, Israeli forces stopped four boys, three of whom were carrying containers with soup, that is handed out in the soup-kitchen connected to the Ibrahimi mosque. Israeli forces stopped them asking to examine the soup-containers they were carrying. The same happened to 3 girls crossing a checkpoint further down the street from there. They, as well, were ordered to stop by Israeli forces asking to ‘check’ the containers of fresh hot soup. How and in which way these children carrying soup that is donated to families in need, are posing any kind of threat to the Israeli forces or why they have to be stopped, remains unclear.

The majority of Palestinians attending prayers at Ibrahimi mosque, are forced to cross at least two checkpoints on their way to prayer. Any possible way to reach the mosque, two checkpoints is the least number of checkpoints any Palestinian has to pass to practice their freedom of religion. Most Palestinians though, have to cross more than this minimum number of two checkpoints though, as coming from another direction they have to cross at least 4 checkpoints. In the recent days, large numbers of Palestinians have been stopped and checked at one of these checkpoints, where they’ve already had to pass two checkpoints before to even get to this checkpoint.

Given this arbitrariness and the impossibility to know what to expect when simply trying to go to prayer, is only one form of Israeli forces’ inhumane treatment inflicted only on the Palestinian residents, and thus an apartheid strategy.

Qarawah water apartheid

21st June 2016 | IWPS | Deir Istiya, occupied Palestine

When Aziz ‘Aasee, the mayor of Qarawah Bani Hassan village drives through the streets, we’re stopped every few meters by one of his constituents, all of whom are asking the same question: When will we have water again? For some, the question is a joke; they are used to going without water for days, weeks, or even months each summer. Others are more aggressive, and the question comes off as a threat. People are looking for someone to blame for their thirst. The mayor, who is responsible for paying the town’s water bills, seems like an easy target.

In reality, there is little Aziz can do to ensure that his town has enough water. The village shares a water access network with two other municipalities, Sarta and Biddya. The three villages, with a combined population of approximately 30,000 people, depend on one 8 inch pipe, designed to deliver 145 cubic meters of water per hour. During the winter months when water tables are higher, the water flows at full capacity, ensuring coverage to the entire network. However for the past two months, the amount has been restricted to between 50 and 70 cubic meters per hour. With such a small amount in the pipes, the pressure is too low for the water to reach many of the houses at the end of the system. Qarawah, which sits at the highest elevation out of the three villages, suffers the most from the low water pressure: no house in the village has received water in over a week. The most remote properties have gone dry for over a month.

Qarawah's only potable water source — Qarawah’s only potable water source

Mekorot, the Israeli national water company which ostensibly owns the water infrastructure in question, and controls 87% of the aquifer located inside the West Bank, lies at the root of the problem. Since 1982, when the Israeli military sold their control of the West Bank’s water resources to Mekorot for a mere Shekel, the company has become the main enforcer of water apartheid between the Palestinians, and Israelis living in illegal settlements. While settlements enjoy a 24/7 supply of water year round, Mekorot caps its supply to Palestinians at the levels stipulated in the Oslo agreements over 20 years ago. Since then, the population of the West Bank has grown exponentially, and almost no improvements to Palestinian water infrastructure have been made. The Israeli military administration in the West Bank only makes matters worse. They routinely deny permits for new wells and pipes that would benefit villages like Qarawah by providing alternative sources of water or improving water pressure. In addition, the Israeli military has demolished 50 water and sanitation structures owned by Palestinians in 2016 alone. The result is that Palestinians have essentially no control over any of the water within their borders, or the infrastructure to deliver it.

Negotiations with Mekorot are almost impossible for small municipalities like Qarawah. Officials in the district capital of Salfit have spent the past two months trying to persuade the Israelis to increase the water supply without result. Even on the national level, appointees from the Palestinian Authority have refused to negotiate with Mekorot and the Israeli military administration. Aziz, for his part, chiefly contacts Mekorot through one of their Palestinian employees, and the communication is confusing at best. The representative will promise to show up on a certain day, and then never arrives. Or he’ll leave an update to say the water supply will be increased for one night to 100 cubic meters per hour, enough to ensure that at least some homes in Qarawah will receive water, yet the taps remain empty. Meanwhile, the illegal settlement of Kiryat Netafim, easily visible on a neighbouring hillside, boasts green lawns. It’s clear from a glance that the settlements are receiving more than adequate service from the same company.

A few times over the past weeks, the municipalities of Qarawah, Satra and Biddya have called for popular protests, gathering at the meter access point for their shared pipe. Small groups of children and young men beat empty water bottles with sticks and shouted “Bidna may, bidna may” – “we want water” – at passing cars. Regardless, many in the three towns are afraid of a backlash from the protests. Shortly after the protests, armed Israeli soldiers arrived at the meter, demanding that the organizers cancel, or face repercussions. While it’s unclear what sort of consequences might be imposed, some worry that the water might be cut off completely as an act of collective punishment.

"Bidna may" - we want water protest — “Bidna may” – we want water protest

With no solution in sight, the villagers of Qarawah are finding ways to mitigate the effects of living under water apartheid. Villagers are using bottled water for drinking and showers, and hauling water up from local springs, located 4-6 kilometres outside the village limits, to use in toilets and irrigation. The springs also provide a small amount of potable water. However, this is not nearly enough to meet the village’s needs. Some houses in the village also have private wells; but with the summer stretching ahead, these limited resources are sure to be depleted far too soon. So until Mekorot is disbanded, or agrees to give equal service to Palestinians, the people of Qarawah will continue to suffer.

Peaceful sit-in protest violently broken up by Israeli forces

15th July 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On 15th July 2016, a peaceful sit-in protest demanding the opening of Qurtuba stairs in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) by Palestinians as well as Israeli and international activists was violently broken up by Israeli forces, leaving one Palestinian child injured and 4 activists arrested.

The peaceful sit-in protest was organised by Youth Against Settlements in coordination with the families denied access to their homes through the Qurtuba stairs. The stairs have been closed since 1st November 2015, when the whole area of Tel Rumeida and the tiny strip of Shuhada Street still accessible to Palestinian pedestrians, was first declared a closed military zone (CMZ). Despite the lifting of the closed military zone on 14th May 2016, many restrictions applying to Palestinian residents only, remain in place.

When Israeli activists from Ta’ayush challenged this closure and demanded that it’ll be implemented equally and thus for settlers as well – who are free to use the stairs whenever and however they please, without ever even being stopped – more soldiers and settlers gathered. This closure evidently constitutes illegal collective punishment and is an apartheid measure – as it is exclusively applied to Palestinians, but not to Israeli settlers or soldiers. The deciding criterion for whether or not the stairs are considered a CMZ for that specific person based solely on the ethnicity.

After a few minutes, Israeli forces ordered the Palestinian and international activists peacefully sitting on the side of Shuhada Street near the Qurtuba stairs to leave the area. Israeli forces thus ordered everyone to leave, claiming they’re no residents, while infamous and violent settler Ofer, living in the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement on the outskirts of al-Khalil was permitted to film and provoke the peaceful protestors, as was infamous female settler Tzippi.

Israeli forces, eventually, brought a CMZ-order not only for the Qurtuba stairs, but for the whole Shuhada Street and Tel Rumeida neighborhood. Whether or not this means a return to the dehumanization of Palestinians that previously during the CMZ have been degraded to a mere number, has yet to be seen.

Map of the closed military zone order Photo credit: Youth Against Settlements — Map of the closed military zone order
Photo credit: Youth Against Settlements

In the end, Israeli forces violently and aggressively arrested the 4 of the Israeli activists, violently pulling and dragging them from inside a Palestinian home. During this violent arrest, Israeli forces squeezed a ten year old boy between the wall and a metal door, and only let go once they arrested the Israeli activists. The boy, Marwan Sharabati, now suffers from pain in his leg, and at the moment is not able to walk normally, limping instead.

This is just another example of Israeli forces impunity for violence and their continuous breaches of international humanitarian and human rights law. While publicly advocating that they’re facilitating Palestinian movement during the holy month of Ramadan, the Israeli government and the Israeli forces are instead doing whatever they can to uphold, enforce and exacerbate not only Palestinian freedom of movement, but keep denying Palestinian rights on a large scale.