Tag: Settlement - Page 44 - International Solidarity Movement

Settler violence sharply escalates in Hebron during Sukkot holiday

30th September 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On the second day of the Jewish Sukkot holiday, hundreds of settlers continued filing into al-Khalil (Hebron) creating mass restrictions and sharp escalations in violence against Palestinians living here. Over a period of two hours dozens of them continuously invaded the roof of the Palestinian Abu Shamsiyye family home where several small children live.

Israeli soldier stands idly by as settlers invade Palestinian roof, attack female monitor.

Laughing and trying to gain vantage point to view Israeli forces teargassing, stun grenading and firing rubber coated steel bullet projectiles into crowds of Palestinians in the Bab al-Zawiya area of H-1 Hebron, the settlers spit and cursed at the children, darted towards them to frighten them, called them “Arab terrorists” and one male settler charged at and punched a female ISM international human rights monitor as she filmed him trespassing on the roof. The settler was allowed to leave the scene without incident as Israeli forces stood present but did nothing.

Shortly thereafter, as a Palestinian man and his two young sons tried to exit the gate fronting their home, a crowd of a dozen settler boys sat and stood in front of the gate blocking his exit as he politely asked to be allowed to pass. For fifteen minutes the boys kept the man and his sons trapped until an Israeli soldier finally came and told them to move.

Through the sounds of stun grenading and the blasts of high powered rubber coated steel bullets being showered onto Palestinians by Israeli forces just past checkpoint 56, the settlers, of all ages, took turns standing in the Israeli military post where they posed for photos, shouted curses and racial abuses at Palestinians and international human rights monitors and cheered each time a blast rang out.

Settlers boys pose jovially for photos after spitting and cursing at human rights monitors and shouting racial slurs about Arabs.

This was the situation just outside the Abu Shamsiyye family home alone. But hundreds of Palestinian families have been literally under siege during the Jewish Sukkot holiday began yesterday as their roads have been closed, their businesses have been attacked, their children have been arrested and their streets have undergone hours of endless assault by heavily armed Israeli forces both on roofs as well as in the streets to allow for settlers to move freely through Palestinian governed areas it is illegal for them to be, in so they could pray in the streets.

The misery continues for Palestinians existing in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron).

Settler violence escalates in the vicinity of Kiryat Arba illegal settlement

19th September 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

The children of the Jabari family in Jabari neighbourhood of al-Khalil are singing along to a Palestinian children’s television show. It is a sunny Saturday morning but in the small living area, six tiny children sit with their mothers who explain to us that they do not go outside because of the settlers. They quietly recite every word of the television songs to themselves.

Jabari family' children — Jabari family’ children

With the massive illegal Israeli settlement, Kiryat Arba – home to nearly eight thousand Israeli settlers, directly facing their home, Saturday morning’s aren’t the only time the Jabari family is being affected. They have a newly built synagogue behind them, along with an Israeli police station. All are connected by a path that brings settlers along the family property on a regular basis. “The settlers jump behind our home in the night. They bang on the children’s windows and terrorize them.”

International human rights observers from the ISM and others have been providing protective presence for the family who, with so many children living in the home, haven’t had running water since the second Intifada. Their well, fronting the home, contains more trash than water and once they are able to procure the resources to repair it, it is subject to the same assault the family themselves endure month in and month out.

“During the Jewish holiday, the settlers filled the streets praying loudly. They shouted curse words at us.” Settlers had built a synagogue tent structure in recent months which was ordered demolished by the Israeli court system. Yet even with this small justice being done, a greater injustice persists. The land, belonging to Palestinians, has now been declared by Israeli forces to be a ‘closed military zone,’ which makes it off limits to all but Israeli military personnel.

However, settlers routinely frequent the area to pray under the protection of the Israeli army, while Palestinians are barred completely from entering. For the Jabari family, protective presence carries on as does the settler violence, harassment and constant intrusion into their lives.

Jabari family again facing the threat of losing their land

6th September 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil Team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

The Jabari family in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) is again facing threats of settlers, taking over their land.

Settlers coming from the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba onto Palestinian land for prayers

The family owns a piece of land sandwidched between the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba and the Israeli police station Givat Ha’vot. Settlers built a synagogue tent on the land, but the Israeli Supreme Court finally took the decision that as it is illegal and has to be demolished in the beginning of this year. This resulted in attacks by settlers on the family, Palestinians living in the neighbourhood and human rights observers.

Settlers praying on the Jabari-family land

The area is now declared a closed military zone, so the settlers coming to pray there last Friday are illegaly trespassing and should be arrested for their crime. Still, they were protected by Israeli forces refusing to interfere. The case involving settlers taking over this land has been dragged on in court since 2000, which keeps the family from actually using their own land.

Israeli forces protecting settlers trespassing on private Palestinian land

Settler attacking international activists in Hebron

1st September | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil Team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Yesterday in al-Khalil (Hebron) in occupied Palestine, a female settler harassed and attacked international activists who were monitoring a checkpoint during school-time.

In the morning volunteers were standing close to Qurtuba school, monitoring children on their way to school. This school is particularly prone to attacks by settlers, as the stairs leading to the school are located directly at the entrance to Shuhada Street, which has been entirely closed for Palestinian and occupied by settlers since 1994.

Anat Cohen, infamous for several attacks on Palestinians, came driving down the street and suddenly almost backed up into the international activists, who had to jump out of the way in order to avoid being run over. She then got out of the car yelling at the volunteers to leave, insulting them verbally and threatening to beat them. The soldier stationed at the checkpoint right opposite did not intervene, even when repeatedly being asked for help by the activists. When the police arrived they ‘explained’ Anat Cohen’s behaviour by stating that it was the first day of school after the holidays for children from the illegal settlements in al-Khalil. They then ordered the internationals to do as Anat Cohen requested and not stand on the street. This is just another striking example of the power individual settlers exercise over the police.

In the afternoon, the volunteers returned to the checkpoint for the end of the school-day for Palestinian children in Qurtuba school and the close-by kindergarten. When Anat Cohen came driving by in her car again, she was driving directly towards one of the volunteers in fast speed. The activist was only able to save herself from being hit in the last minute by running away. Instead of taking any action against Anat trying to hit the volunteers with their car, the soldier threatened the volunteers to call the police and have them arrested if they did not leave immediately.

Watch the video of Anat Cohen attacking internationals here.

Continual harrassment, threatening and intimidation of Palestinian family by settlers in Hebron

25th August 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

The Palestinian Abu Rajab family in the occupied West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron) is facing continual intimidation by groups of settlers and Israeli forces protecting these settlers in their attempts to take over the Abu Rajab family home.

In the last few weeks, settlers from the nearby illegal Israeli settlements on various occasions have camped outside the home under the protection of the Israeli forces, leaving the family confined to the house not able to leave fearing attacks by settlers as well as settlers taking over the rest of the house.

Settler women with their children blocking the stairs to the Abu Rajab house

In March 2012, a group of settlers from illegal settlements within the city broke the gate of the house and occupied the two upper floors of the house at night-time during Passover. Afterwards the settlers claimed to have legally bought the house, a claim that until now could not be proven legit by an Israeli court. Until the final decision of the court, the Abu Rajab extended family is not permitted to use that part of their home. The same year, one of the sons, in his early twenties, was arrested and put in administrative detention (detention without charges or trial) for a year.

When in September 2013 an Israeli soldier was shot in the neighbourhood of the Abu Rajab house, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu promised the settler movement that they would be allowed to move back into the house.

Settler women, Palestinians sitting opposite

Since the beginning of this year, the threats and attacks by settlers on the family have increased. A month ago, during Passover, settlers again tried to move into the house. Instead of protecting the family from these repeated and unlawful attacks, they threatened the family to leave the house. Since then, settlers again and again camp or even sleep outside the families’ home. On Monday and Tuesday, small groups of settler women with their children have been blocking the stairs to the house’s door all afternoon. The children, all under eight years old, were instrumentalised by their mothers as they are too young to understand what was going on. Palestinian children playing nearby the house were forced by soldiers to leave the area.