Tag: Settlers - Page 21 - International Solidarity Movement

Call to Action: Support Shadi Farah, the youngest Palestinian Political Prisoner

20th July 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Quds team | Jerusalem, occupied Palestine

Shadi Farah is just 12 years old, but he’s caught in a trap that few adults ever manage to work their way out of. Last December, Shadi and his Friend Ahmad Zaatari, 13, were arrested at a bus stop in Jerusalem. A group of East Jerusalem illegal settlers called police to investigate the two boys, on suspicion of being Palestinian. In the ensuing process of arrest, interrogation, and abuse, the Israeli police proclaimed that the two boys had gone to Jerusalem with the intent to stab a soldier, and subsequently charged them both with attempted manslaughter. The evidence is slim, the boys confessed after several days of abusive questioning with no lawyer or parent present, and a lone witness was produced to claim the boys had been talking about stabbing soldiers at their school. According to Shadi’s family, he still maintains his innocence. But in the he-said-she-said world of Israeli courts, any evidence is enough to convict a Palestinian, and the boys are stuck.

Unlike most Palestinian Political Prisoners, Shadi and Ahmad’s case differs in a few ways. The boys have East Jerusalem IDs, meaning they are being tried in civilian courts, not military courts. While civilian courts are rarely kinder to accused Palestinians, there is more oversight than in the military system. That’s the good news. The bad news is that, as East Jerusalem residents under the age of 14, they are not imprisoned; they are in al Marsa youth detention centre in Northern Israel. While a youth detention centre may sound preferable, it isn’t.

“It would be better if he was in prison.” Said Shadi’s mother, Farehan Farah.

Al Marsa centre is a place for Israeli teenage criminals. The other detainees are older than Shadi and Ahmad, and are doing time for crimes such as theft, assault, and drug possession. Shadi’s family reports that the older detainees have threatened the boys on numerous occasions. The centre provides activities for all detainees; however Shadi and Ahmad have been banned from activities and are confined to their rooms, spending most of the day under what amounts to solitary confinement. The centre has not commented on whether this is a precaution to keep the boys safe from the older detainees, or if it is additional punishment. The living conditions in a prison might not be much better, but at least there the boys would be in the company of other Palestinians who are caught in the vicious political system, who could provide some amount of care and support.

In addition to being isolated within the centre, Shadi is also frequently isolated from his family. Al Marsa allows for weekly visits, however the cost and logistics pose a problem. Shadi’s parents don’t make very much money, and the cost of renting a car and paying for gas exceed 800 NIS ($213) per trip. While Shadi has a Jerusalem ID, his mother does not, which means she has to go through the laborious permit application process every time she wants to visit. If Shadi was in a prison, his family would be eligible to participate in the prisoner visitation program sponsored by the International Committee of the Red Cross. This would mean that all costs and permit application would be processed for them. Since he is not, the family receives no assistance for visitations. Farehan has only seen her young son a handful of times since he was arrested seven months ago.

To support Shadi and his family financially through this time and help bring him home, please click on the following link: https://palsolidarity.org/donate

Shadi’s family has hope that because of the flimsy evidence, and Shadi’s young age, he may yet be released from detention. Even if the family can’t have the charges dropped, they are trying to have him brought home and placed under house arrest for the duration of his trial, which could last for years. However it would take more than the effort of a court appointed lawyer. Supporters can contribute to the legal fees fund for the Farah family, or by writing to your congressional/parliamentary representatives, to insist they build pressure on Israel for their arbitrary detention of Palestinian children, especially 12-year-old Shadi Farah.

Shadi’s mother, holding a photo of her son

Shadi with his best friend, Muhammad, and with his father, Anwar Farrah.

Shadi with his father, Anwar.

Right to play? Palestinian children in occupied al-Khalil

29th June 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

In occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), possibilities for Palestinian children to play are scarce. With the help of the Playgrounds for Palestine project, a brand-new playground was installed at Qurtuba school in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of al-Khalil.

Right to play – can you imagine that as a child, when playing, you’d need to be scared of being attacked, your parents worried whenever you’re out playing, and playing with your friends and enjoying something that is denied to you by a foreign occupying army?

The Tel Rumeida neighborhood is in the H2 area of al-Khalil, under full Israeli military control. After more than six months of collective punishment by the means of a ‘closed military zone’, deliberately designed to affect only the Palestinian population, this measure was officially lifted on 14^th May 2016. Despite the lifting of some of the measures intended to forcibly displace the Palestinian population – and thus only a slightly disguised attempt at forced displacement, many of the restrictions applying on Palestinians have remained in place.

A staircase leading to Qurtuba school at the end of the tiny strip of Shuhada Street where Palestinian pedestrians are still allowed to be, is still under a complete closure – for Palestinians, whereas settlers, Israeli forces and anyone resembling a tourist is allowed to pass freely. This apartheid measure severs all the families accessing their homes through these stairs, as well as visitors to the Muslim cemetery and a weekly second-hand market of their main access, forcing them to take long detours. The many restrictions have also forced the project to carry large amounts of the materials through the neighborhood, as Palestinian cars are not allowed in the area. On one day, the workers were prevented from continuing their work on the playground and forced to leave by Israeli forces.

Palestinians carrying materials to the playground

For the children growing up in this area, childhood is short. Child-arrests, even of children less than 12 years and thus illegal even under Israeli military law that is universally applied on the Palestinian population in the Israeli occupied West Bank, are not uncommon, as are humiliations and intimidations by the Israeli forces and settlers under the full protection of the Israeli forces.

The right to play, for Palestinian children, is only a theoretical concept, that often lacks any practical meaning, when growing up next to illegal settlements under a foreign military occupation. Playing on the streets of their neighborhood for most children is dangerous, as settlers do not even restrain from attacking children. In a nearby Palestinian kindergarten, Israeli settlers overnight stole a large role of artificial grass intended to be part of the play-area for the children attending the kindergarten. With no institution to address this, the artificial grass is merely lost and missing in the play-area.

The installation of the playground at Qurtuba school, thus, is a sign of hope for the Palestinian children. An opportunity for the children to be exactly that: children. To play with their friends and enjoy their childhood, have fun and laugh.

10-year old girl arrested on settler children accusation

5th July 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Israeli forces on Monday 4th July arrested a 10-year old Palestinian girl near the Ibrahimi mosque in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), as a group of settler children arbitrarily accused her of throwing an enormous rock at them.

A large group of settler children were playing near the Ibrahimi mosque, again and again harassing a family living next to a checkpoint manned by heavily-armed Israeli forces. When a boy accused one of the Palestinian children of throwing a rock at them, all the settler children and large numbers of Israeli forces gathered at the house. A group of soldiers then entered the house with the settler boy, and eventually came out with the 10-year old girl, crying.

They then walked her off to the police station, despite her young age. Even under Israeli military law, that applies on all Palestinians in the West Bank, the arrest of Palestinian children is prohibited under the age of 12. Under the Israeli civil law which applies even on settlers living in illegal settlements, in contrast, arrests of children are legal only from the age of 14. Despite the girl being only 10-years old – a fact that was repeatedly told to the soldiers – the girl was taken to the police station. The girls mother was prevented by the Israeli forces to reach the police station, which is located on part of a street where Palestinians are not even allowed to walk. Luckily, the girl was accompanied by her aunt, but denied the presence of her mother.

The settlers in the meantime kept harassing the Palestinian family, throwing small stones at the family, sitting on the stairs outside their house, waiting and hoping for the release of the girl. As the house is located directly opposite one of the many checkpoints, this happened in plain view of the Israeli forces, who in the beginning entirely ignored the events and intervened only when realizing that people started filming and taking photos.

After about half an hour, she was released, and Israeli forces explained to her family, that they were just being ‘nice’ as they were sure she threw the rock. The rock the settler boy accused her of throwing at them is so big, that the 10-year old girl would not even been able to lift it up.

Watch the video below:

This illustrates how Israeli settlers, even small children, have complete impunity for their actions, and Israeli forces act upon their every word and wish – even if acting illegally under the Israeli law.

This comes at a time where Israeli forces are enacting severe restrictions on Palestinians in the area around the Ibrahimi Mosque.

Israeli forces escort illegal settlers through al-Khalil (Hebron) old town as tensions rise

4th July 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On Saturday morning, less than 24 hours after Israeli forces implemented a discriminatory siege on Hebron and less than 12 hours after Israeli forces entered the H1, Palestinian controlled areas of the West Bank’s most populous city, a group of illegal settlers were escorted through the city by Israeli forces.

Settler Tour-1 — Settler Tour in Old City of Hebron

Approximately 100 settlers were escorted through the old city by over 30 soldiers. Israeli forces blocked access to some Palestinians who were attempting to walk through the market or were forced to wait for the large group to pass.

Settler Tour-2 — Palestinians being treated as second class citizens in their own home

Some settlers were openly carrying weapons with one man having what looked to be an M4 rifle slung over his shoulder. The settlers appeared to have no interest in buying any goods from the local vendors and the exercise seemed to be for the sole purpose of further disrupting Palestinian’s daily lives, intimidation and a show of force.

This is just another display of apartheid in Hebron where Palestinians have had their right to movement denied while illegal settlers are escorted through the streets by Israeli forces.

Remembering Mohammed Abu Khdeir two years after his brutal murder

2nd July 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Occupied Palestine

Today marks the two year anniversary of the brutal kidnap, torture and eventual murder of 16-year-old Palestinian Mohammed Abu Khdeir. The teenager was kidnapped in the Shufat neighbourhood of occupied Jerusalem by Ben David of the illegal settlement Geva Binyamin and two assailants on 2 July 2014, Abu Khdeir was then beaten, forced to drink gasoline and burnt alive.

The autopsy found that gasoline was poured down Abu Khdeir’s throat and that there was soot in his lungs which shows that he was still breathing as this attackers burnt him alive. The autopsy also found that he was repeatedly beaten over the head with a sharp object, most likely a tire iron or a wrench.

Two days prior to Abu Khdeir’s abduction the group attempted to kidnap a 7-year-old boy Moussa Zaloum although he was able to escape with the help of his mother. The family reported the attempted kidnapping to Israeli police although they did not investigate the incident.

Three days after the attack, Mohammed’s cousin, 15-year-old American citizen Tariq Abu Khdeir was detained and brutally beaten by Israeli border police, an event caught on camera, before being released.

Earlier this year, a relative of Mohammed Abu Khdeir, 63 year old Coheir Abu Khdeir was also badly assaulted in an attack carried out in Shufat. When his family went to Israeli police they refused to take their complaint insisting that the 63-year-old would have to come to the police station himself.

On 2 July 2015 there was a peaceful demonstration held in commemoration for Mohammed Abu Khdeir which was violently dispersed by Israeli Forces. The Israeli Forces used pepper spray and tear gas on the non-violent demonstrators which included Palestinians, international activists and journalists.

Earlier this year, the ringleader of the attack Ben David was sentenced to life in prison and an additional 20 years while his two assailants, both minors at the time, were sentenced to life in prison and 21 years respectively.

Two years on we wish to remember Mohammed Abu Khdeir to ensure we don’t forget the tragedy of this brutal act of torture and murder.