Tag: Settlers - Page 17 - International Solidarity Movement

Kafr Qaddum: Peaceful people under violent occupation

25th October 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Last Friday I attended a demonstration in the small town of Kafr Qaddum, situated in the Northern region of the West Bank, just west of the city of Nablus. In 1974 Israel began to illegally erect settlements in the nearby Keddumin area. In 2003 Israeli forces set up roadblocks, denying the Palestinian residents of Kafr Qaddum access to much of their land and to the main route leading to Nablus. This road closure increased travelling time to Nablus, and the hospitals and other amenities located there, by more than 30 minutes for the Palestinian residents of Kafr Qaddum.

Understandably aggrieved by this act of forcible encroachment, Palestinian residents entered into negotiations with their now Israeli neighbours to seek to have the route reopened. However, despite the roadblock being declared illegal in 2010, and after years of unfulfilled guarantees on the part of the Israeli occupiers that the road would reopen, the Palestinian residents began to demonstrate in opposition of the closure in 2011. The Israelis’ overhanded retaliation to these demonstrations involves the use of skunk water, tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets, dogs and even live ammunition. Homes have also been destroyed with the use of skunk water, which leaves a stench so potent that houses are rendered uninhabitable.

Spent casings of stun grenades and tear gas fired at protesters during previous demonstrations at Kafr Qaddum.

Partially ruptured rubber-coated steel bullet found in the dirt at Kafr Qaddum, — Partially ruptured rubber-coated steel bullet found in the dirt at Kafr Qaddum.

New to me was the knowledge that Palestinian farmers have to apply for permits to access large portions of their own land, which is now under Israeli control, in order to harvest their olives. This year however, as collective punishment for the weekly demonstrations, the Israeli authorities reduced the permit from 45 days to 7 days, time enough to harvest only a fraction of their land.

Present at the demonstration that day were Palestinian residents of all ages, journalists, and international and Israeli activists. After the noon prayer people began to gather and march down the road through which Palestinian movement is now prohibited. The mood was tense as only days beforehand settlers set alight a number of the olive trees belonging to Palestinian farmers, adding insult to injury as the list of injustices against these people grows even longer.

Demonstrators march in protest of road block which has been closed to Palestinians since 2003.

The scorched remains of olive trees burned by settlers that week.

However, despite feeling intense anger at these recurring acts of settler aggression, the protesters remained reserved in their action and did not retaliate in kind. Tyres were set on fire, the primary purpose of which is to create a smoke screen in order to protect protesters from sniper fire. Large plumes of smoke rose from the flames and travelled in a windward direction over the settlement to make known to its residents their discontent. But at no point was the settlement approached or was a single act of aggression enacted by any of the protesters present. Indeed, I am told this is common of all the demonstrations carried out at Kafr Qaddum. Violence only erupts when the army comes out to face the protesters in large numbers, answering stones with rubber-coated steel bullets or worse. Only two weeks previous a journalist was struck in the head with a high-velocity tear gas canister shot from a distance of 400 meters, shattering the helmet that undoubtedly saved his life. Thankfully, on this occasion, the army did not leave their base and the demonstration passed without incident. Afterwards I walked down to see the large patch of land and olive trees scorched by the settlers that week. I was struck by an overwhelming sense of injustice that such despicable acts of hatred could go unanswered. I wondered if I would be capable of the level of reserve shown by the Palestinians residents of Kafr Qaddum if I had suffered as these people have over so many years.

Clouds of smoke below into the sky as a mark of indignation to settler — Clouds of smoke bellow into the sky as a mark of indignation to the occupation under which the Palestinian residents of Kafr Qaddum suffer.

These are a non-violent people, who have had a history of violence put upon them by Israeli settlers and the army that supports them. And yet this is not the story told by the media at large, presenting them to the world as warmongering terrorists. I have seen first hand that the only terrorists in this situation are those wielding armoured cars and riffles, not those whose only defence of their homes and livelihoods are the rocks they find at their feet.

Protective Presence at Burin olive harvest

24th October 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus-team | Burin, occupied Palestine

Today, international activists joined members of the Najjar family from the village of Burin to harvest their olives and provide a protective presence should settler colonists or Israeli forces attempt to attack and disrupt the harvesting. Thankfully, there were no violent incidents todayand the international activists enjoyed a beautiful day harvesting olives with the wonderful and hospitable Najjar family.

The Najjar family’s land is adjacent to the illegal Israeli settlement Yitzar. This year, the family was issued a permit to access their land for only three days to harvest their olives. The permits required by Israel for Palestinian farmers to access their own land are also typically restricted to limited times each day. According to the family, three days is not nearly enough time to harvest their whole crop. As a result, international activists have been harvesting olives together with the farmers without permits which brings the risk of retaliation by both settler colonists and Israeli forces. It has been reported that settler colonists often harvest Palestinian’s olives for themselves without any repercussion. The Najjar family reported that this year they counted four of their trees stripped of their olives before they had the opportunity to access their land themselves.

All of these restrictions together with the settler colonist violence serve to further the theft of Palestinian land. Often, farmers are only given permission to access their land during harvest time and not throughout the year so as to maintain their corps and ensure a good harvest. One member of the family told us, “last year my father came to clear the land, but they kicked him out.”

olive-2 — The city of Burin, with the illegal Israeli settlement of Bracha that lies atop the hill to the upper right.

The village of Burin is trapped between Yitzar and Bracha illegal settlements and has endured settler colonist violence and the destruction of their olive trees for years. As is the case for villages across the occupied West Bank, the farmers in Burin depend economically on the olive harvest to provide annual income for their families. “Its so important because there is no work. All the people wait for the olive harvest to come because the only work available is to sell olive oil. They live for justice and oil.”

Settler attacks school-children and orders soldier to assist her

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

On Monday morning, infamous Israeli settler Anat Cohen attacked a group of school-children harvesting olives near their school in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron). She then ordered the soldier to not only evict the students and teachers from the area, but assist in her attack.

A group of scout students was helping Palestinian families, picking olives for them next to the Qurtuba school on Shuhada Street. Immediately after the group started picking the olives, a soldier from the nearby Daboya checkpoint came to order them not to pass the fence when harvesting, but allowing them to harvest the olives, as long as they don’t cross the fence.

Only a short time after, he came back, this time with infamous settler Anat Cohen. Anat Cohen has at many times attacked the school-students, teachers and families in this area, always with complete impunity. She makes no difference between elderly, children, men or women, and deliberately attacks Palestinians for the sole fact of them being Palestinians, and also internationals supporting them. She is well-known for those vicious attacks and insults, many of which were caught on camera. Despite this video-evidence, she is always showered with the unwavering protection and support from the Israeli soldiers and civil police, and thus enjoys complete impunity for her crimes.

As the soldier came back together with Anat Cohen, he suddenly ordered the students and teachers to stop harvesting immediately – orders that obviously came straight from Anat Cohen, who was standing right behind him. This is just another example of soldiers acting directly on the orders of the settlers from the illegal settlements, without any interest at all for the law or human rights. Even when Anat pushed a teacher, the soldier refused to intervene or arrest her, and instead threatened to arrest the teacher. The teachers tried to reason with the soldier, telling him that he allowed them to harvest before, and now clearly takes his orders from Anat, and assured him that they would leave if he has an official order stating that the harvest in this area is not allowed. As a reply, the soldier that communicated just fine in English before, suddenly stated that he does not speak any English. The soldier proceeded to grab, push and pull students himself, all the while Anat was cursing and harassing the group. He then pulled a student, that was held up to reach the olives by the director of Qurtuba school, almost causing him to fall down from great height.

This is just another in a string of attacks of Anat, for which she never has to feel any consequences. This impunity provided for by the Israeli army and civil police only emboldens her in her vicious attacks. The collaboration between the Israeli forces and settlers, together against the Palestinian civilian population of the area is obviously geared towards the ehtnic cleansing of this area, in order to instead create a ‘sterile’ continous illegal settlement.

https://youtu.be/M9XIN4Nrtoo

‘We are strong and we will be free’ – Hashem Azzeh memorial

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

One year has lapsed since the passing of Hashem Azzeh, a devoted husband and loving father of three, and close friend of ISM. Hashem died following an exacerbation of a latent heart condition that was triggered by tear gas inhalation suffered in his own home when Israeli forces were showering demonstrators at Bab al-Zawwiyeh with tear gas. The circumstances of Hashems death are inextricably entwined with the objective of his life, which was to defend his city of Hebron and its Palestinian residents from Israeli occupiers determined to remove them from it.

Hashem lived in the H2 area of Tel Reumeida, a neighbourhood that has been devastated by the Israeli occupation and the settlements that now surround it. He and his family suffered daily harassment at the hands of settlers and Israeli forces alike, who regularly attacked their home and enforced upon them curfews, which often saw them imprisoned in their own home. In perhaps the most disturbing example of the violence they experienced, his wife, Nizeem, suffered two miscarriages following physical assault by settlers during her pregnancies. However, despite these despicable and inhumane atrocities carried out against them, Hashem and his family remained steadfast and unwavering in their determination not to be intimidated from their home, and that of several generations that preceded them. It is for this unyielding strength and resilience shown in the face of relentless assault that Hashem will best be remembered.

Hashem’s activism saw him conjure close ties with international activists from all over the world. Testament to the admiration held for him by the international activist community was the presence of a large number of internationals at his memorial, which was held last Saturday to mark the one-year anniversary of his passing, organised by the Hebron Defense Committee (HDC). Invited to speak were Anan Dana (HDC), Ahmad Jaradat (Alternative Information Centre), Fahmi Shaheen (Co-ordination Committee of the Political Factions), Abdelmaieed AlKhateeb (The Residents of Tel Rumeida) Mohammed Al Qeeq (Hungerstriker of 94 days) and Stella (Unadikum Association representing international friends of Hashem).

Since Hashem’s death, the situation in the Old City of Hebron and throughout occupied Palestine has only worsened. Hashem, like Fadi and Hadeel, is just one of the more than 35 Palestinians killed in the Old City of al-Khalil by Israeli forces, with completely impunity for the occupying forces and settlers from the illegal settlements committing these war crimes. In addition to executing and murdering Palestinians, Israeli forces then kidnap the bodies of these martyrs, denying their families the very basic right of a funeral. In the Tel Rumeida neighborhoud, the roadblocks and checkpoints have increased and worsened, and the whole area has been declared a ‘closed military zone’ in obvious attempts of Judaization of the area through ethnic cleansing of it’s Palestinian population.

However, by far the most moving tribute was delivered by Hashems’ daughter, Raghad Azzeh, who described how after her father’s death, the situation just grew worse. In a time where the international community is not acting, the Palestinians of the area need to stand with each other as Hebronites (people living in Hebron). After her fathers’ death, the prison that Israeli forces have made the family home, has worsened, with the main access to their house closed down just a day after Hashem’s tragic death. In her address she appealed to those present that they honour his memory by embracing the principles that guided Hashems’ own activism, and to remain resolute in opposition of Israel’s continued encroachment of their homes and livelihoods until Hebron, and its Palestinian residents, are freed from the occupation under which they currently suffer.

Watch ‘Hashem, a living legend of resistance’ by the Alternative Information Center.

Olive harvest next to the illegal settlements in Bruqin

23rd October 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah-team | Bruqin, occupied Palestine

On October 21st, an ISM-team joined farmers in the village of Bruqin, Salfit district, for the olive harvest. The family’s fields are occupied by an illegal Israeli settlement and they are denied access to their land by the Israeli military except during the olive harvest.

A team of solidarity activists went to meet the farmers and set out to the olive fields together. The crop this year was very small as the access restriction prevents the farmers from caring for their trees during the year. The wild condition of the field made the harvest more difficult and less fruitful. Neither settlers nor military appeared during the harvest day.

In 1999, the illegal Israeli settlement Burchin was established near the village of Bruqin. The establishment of this illegal settlement led to local farmers being denied access to land which has belonged to their families for generations. In 2011, the settlement structure was expanded by several baracks, confiscating even more land. The illegal settlers have repeatedly harrassed the local farmers verbally, phyiscally and by also cutting down olive trees in their fields. Moreover, the local farmers are harrassed by the Israeli military every year, trying to deny them access to their land even on the day of the harvest. On one of the local family’s fields, the access restriction and harressment by settlers and military has led to a huge decrease in gain from the harvest from formerly 1000 kg of olives per season to now 30 kg of olives per season.

Apart from the harrassment and land restrictions, the nearby illegal industrial settlement Barkan streams its toxic waste water down into the village of Bruqin. This poses also an environmental threat to the olive harvest and the peoples’ health in the village in general.