9th March 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, al Khalil team | Occupied Palestine
Today local Palestinian citizens gathered in their village of Kafr Qaddum, protesting against the illegal Israeli settlement of Kadumim and the road blockage that inhibits access to their village. Israeli armed forces fired copious rounds of tear gas, stun grenades, rubber coated steel bullets and live ammunition. During the protest an 18-year old Palestinian man was hit in the shoulder by a rubber coated steel bullet.
Shortly after Friday prayer, Palestinian demonstrators marched towards the main road in Kafr Qaddum. Israeli armed forces were positioned on hills surrounding the village, immediately firing rubber coated steel bullets and live ammunition at protesters. During the demonstration an 18-year old Palestinian man was hit by a rubber coated steel bullet in his shoulder, but was luckily not in need of hospitalization. The protests went on for about 3 hours where Israeli soldiers kept firing live ammunition as well as tear gas and stun grenades whilst advancing toward the village. An Israeli drone accompanied the soldiers on top of the hills surveying the area.
The villagers of Kafr Qaddum have had weekly protests since 2011 due to the closing of the main road in 2003 that now leads to the illegal settlement of Kadumim. This has had severe effects on the citizens of Kafr Qaddum and is a form of collective punishment, what was once a 15-minute drive to Nablus is now 40-minute drive.
18th February 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil team | Occupied Palestine
Israeli soldiers confiscate approved building materials adding up to 10,000 NIS from Palestinian builders.
Last weekend, the Sharabati family that lives on Shuada street in Al Khalil were hard at work constructing a metal frame for a roof covering on top of their house which is overlooked by an illegal settlement. Settlers arrived at a gate adjacent to the Sharabati rooftop and began swearing in Arabic, banging on the gate and trying to provoke a response. Palestinians and ISMers ignored this apparent harassment and continued on with the work before breaking for lunch. Shortly thereafter, 12 soldiers including 3 commanders arrived and ordered the Palestinians to halt construction, as they did not have proper permission even though the Sharabati family does have the necessary paperwork. After one hour of talking on their radios and taking pictures of the project and the family, the soldiers confiscated the power tools, equipment and generator leaving the rooftop in disarray.
The Sharabati family have previously tried to make alterations to their roof and faced the same difficulties. Head of the family, Mufid Sharabati, was assaulted five years ago by many soldiers, which resulted in hospitalization and metal plates in his back.
Regardless of having proper paperwork authorizing rooftop construction, the family remained powerless at the word of a few angry settlers and actions of soldiers today. Now they have lost the right to construct on their private property as well as 10,000 NIS worth of equipment. They are prepared to further challenge the soldiers’ unjust actions so they can eventually complete construction.
3,829 illegal settlement housing units in Khalil area were approved by the civil administration just last October, whilst Palestinians cannot even make minor improvements to their own homes on their own land.
12th January 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus team | Occupied Palestine
Today in Kfar Qaddum the protesters, marching towards the road closed off due to the illegal settlement of Kadumim, were suppressed by Israeli military. Protesters were met with teargas and rubber coated steel bullets. Luckily there were no serious injuries. Three days ago though, hundreds of settlers from the illegal settlement of Havat Gilad attacked the neighboring village of Far’ata.
When ISMers spoke to the protesters in Kfar Qaddum, they expressed more relief than usual about there being no serious injuries today. “There is so much violence around the West Bank right now, so if something happened here we fear that it would go unnoticed.” says the main coordinator Murad Shtawi. He showed ISM the video taken by his friends in Far’ata where dozens of settlers forcibly enter the village.
Following the funeral of a recently killed settler from the illegal outpost of Havat Gilad, dozens of settlers attacked the nearby village of Far’ata. The settlers from the illegal outpost threw stones at seven Palestinian homes, breaking windows and causing other property damage. The attacking settlers also damaged trees belonging to Palestinian villagers.
Photos from the security cameras in the Far’ata families’ homes.
The illegal outpost of Havat Gilad, founded in 2002, has had numerous incidents of land theft, destruction, vandalism, and violence towards nearby Palestinian villages. The illegal outpost is scheduled for demolition under an international agreement, but Israel has yet to remove the illegal outpost. Outposts, like Havat Gilad, are illegal under Israeli and International law.
The villagers in Kfar Qaddum have been protesting the effects of the illegal settlement Kadumim since 2011. Apart from the land theft, which is still ongoing, in 2003 the villagers lost their main connection with Nablus increasing their commute to almost an hour instead of previous ten minutes.
Some impressions of last friday demonstration (Dec 29) at Beit’El where an illegal settlement has been set up:
The settlement of Beit’El has been built illegally in the year 1977. Growing in its population it counts more than 5600 settlers. By taking their land Palestinians do not have full access to water supplies, farming land housing and mobility.
For more information on illegal settlements on the bases of International Law we recommend this report by Al-Haq, a Palestinian non-governmental human rights organisation.
26th November 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, Team Nablus | Jordan Valley Solidarity | Jordan Valley, Occupied Palestine
Israeli forces have sent out demolition orders to two villages in the northern Jordan Valley, where they plan to demolish the homes of around 300 Palestinians. This is part of the Israeli military’s ongoing efforts ethnically cleanse the Jordan Valley and annex it to Israel.
The Jordan Valley Solidarity group has already reported residents overhearing drones gliding over the area and Israeli soldiers frequently halting residents for ID checks.
The village Al Maleh is situated close to a Israeli military base.
The Ein El Hilwe and Al Maleh families’ stories are a perfect example of what life in Jordan Valley can mean. None of the two families have been directly informed by the Israeli military forces about the plans to demolition of their homes. On the 1st of November, the demolition orders were left in the form of a note under a rock close to their homes. The notes weren’t noticed until the 9th, which meant that they had an even shorter period of time to find a solution. Despite the frustration and the difficulties of the last weeks, the residents of both the villages are determined to stay on their land and to face the harassment of the Israeli occupation forces. “My grandfather and my father both lived here before me and before the Israeli occupation. My family has owned this land for so long”, says Qadri Daram from Ein El Hill village, descrbing the constant harassment his family has had to face for decades. “They have been using the same strategy for years to get the Palestinians out of here. But before the Oslo agreement there were more military bases here and soldiers. Then the soldiers went away and the Israeli settlers arrived.”
Qadri and his family have lived on this land for generations. Now he and his wife and children have to face many difficulties. They are not allowed to build anything on their own land and are forced to live without water and electricity, while the illegal Israeli settlement nearby is equipped with all the comfortabilities they need. The water for the settlement is taken from a local spring standing near to Ein El Hilwe, while Qadri and his family have to buy water.
The area has been declared a closed military zone.
Qadri used to get the water for his community from there, but when the settlers came they started using it as a swimming pool, claiming it was a holy spring, which made the water dirty and undrinkable.
The water source is an ongoing issue, and has been used as a weapon by Israel since 1967, when it took control of Palestinians’ water supply.
The ways Israel tries to hinder the Palestinian access to water are many. The state often prohibits any kind of maintenance or improvement of the hydric system, draining the groundwater sources from deeper sites. It enables the damaging and drying up of the more superficial Palestinian water sources.
The ways Israel tries to hinder the Palestinian access to water are many. The state often prohibits any kind of maintenance or improvement of the hydric system, draining the groundwater sources from deeper sites. It enables the damaging and drying up of the more superficial Palestinian water sources. It allows untreated sewage to flow from settlements onto Palestinian land. It drains the sources throughout the settlement water system. It targets the water infrastructure during military attacks. It confiscates or destroys tanks for rain collection. Finally, it tolerates and sometimes encourages direct sabotage by the settlers, such as the chemical poisoning of Palestinians’ water and the damaging of their personal tanks and structures.
The Palestinians in the area have to buy water for both themselfs and their animals. The local water spring leads up to the nearby settlement and army bases.
In addition to the weaponization of water, Israel has used military firing zones as a way to annex Palestinian land. Those who drive along the road from Tubas can see warning signs every few meters, declaring the adjacent land a firing zone. This is how the Israeli army declares that particular areas are for live weapons military training, despite the fact that Palestinian villages exist on them, many of which are forced to evacuate with no redress or compensation. Because of these continuously increasing restrictions on their movement, shepherds have been experiencing more difficulty finding places to herd their goats, forcing them to buy feed for them, a far more expensive and less healthy alternative.
Qadri’s story is just one of many stories Jordan Valley residents can tell, as the situation has been getting steadily worse since the occupation began in 1967. Before 1967, over 320,000 Palestinians were living in the Jordan Valley. Now, the number is around 60,000.
“Our children don’t even have the right to enjoy life,” Qadri says. “They cry during the night. They are scared. I think every child in the area needs a psychologist.”
In the village Al Maleh, the situation is similar. The future is uncertain, but everybody is determined to resist on their rightful land. The families listen desperately to the news everyday, waiting for answers. And now, they’re asking the international community for help and solidarity in their search for a peaceful and safe existence.
