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
5th September 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil Team | Hebron, occupied Palestine
Tonight at around 6 pm a Palestinian man was detained at Daboya checkpoint in Shuhada-Street in Hebron in occupied Palestine. While he was detained a group of young settlers came to the checkpoint and attacked him. The 3 settlers were beating the Palestinian youth, while a soldier was standing close by without interfering. When the Palestinian youth ran away from the violent attackers, the unmasked settler pepper-sprayed him, right before he was able to escape the violent attack by running into the house of a Palestinian family living opposite the checkpoint.
After the attack, the Palestinian youth was falling in and out of consciousness for over half an hour. Palestinian cars and thus also ambulances are not allowed in this area by Israeli forces, which led to a long period of waiting before the youth was able to receive medical attention. Due to the closure of the road for Palestinians, the medics from the Red Crescent first had to pass through another checkpoint walking to the location of the incident and then had to carry the Palestinian youth back through the checkpoint. He was brought to the hospital with the suspicion of broken rips and in an enormous amount of pain. He is now out of the hospital and his condition is stable.
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.
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.
24th June 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Al Khalil Team | Al Khalil, Occupied Palestine
Around 8:30 this morning on Shuhada street in Hebron, Israeli settlers, soldiers, and border police arrived and put up a breakfast tent right outside of two shops owned by a Palestinian man. The settlers remained in front of his shops for around three and a half hours under Israeli police and army protection.
The owner of the shops, which will be used to grind wheat into flour, is Ghassan Azzedine Abu Hadid. HRC has been working with him to facilitate the restoration of his two shops. Because of the presence of the settlers, he has been prevented from working on his shops in order to make them ready for opening.
International Solidarity Movement activists were present and asked Ghassan for a statement on what was happening to which he replied “I cannot say anything, I just want to open my shops and continue my work.”
Ghassan Azzedine Abu Hadid standing in front of the settlers and soldiers who are blocking his shops.
ISM’ers approached the Israeli border police whilst the settlers were still present outside Ghassan’s shops and asked if any of them spoke English, to which they replied no and proceeded to call some Israeli soldiers over. An ISM activist asked the soldier “Just wanted to know, why you are allowing this tent to be here in front of this Palestinian man’s shop? Why are the settlers here and why are they being protected by the army and police?” The Israeli soldier replied “This is your opinion. We are just here to protect the settlers.” ISM activist then states “You know that the New York Times is planning on publishing an article that 70 Palestinian shops on Shuhada street are ‘supposed to be opened’, but the reality is this *activist points to the settler tent preventing Palestinian shop from opening* you know that this *points again at the tent* is going to go world-wide, right?” Israeli soldier replied “OK…let me tell you what the Arabs do to us.” ISM activists at this point then noted that the Israeli soldiers across the street were yelling at the soldiers speaking to the activists. ISM activists can only assume that they told the other soldiers not to speak to us, as the conversation then came to an end.
Israeli forces guarding the settler tent.
At around 12:00 PM, most of the settlers walked back to the illegal settlement of Beit Hadassah. Only one settler remained behind as the Israeli army helped him to pack the tent and chairs away.
Another Palestinian shop owner, who would like to remain anonymous, told ISM activists: “This is not the first time that Israeli settlers and soldiers have done this, they targeted these two shops specifically because they are getting ready to be opened. The settlers caught wind that this Palestinian man was planning on opening and now they are here with the tent.” He then stated about the recent news of 70 Palestinian shops opening on Shuhada street as “an Israeli publicity stunt.”
It is important to note that without the presence of the Israeli soldiers and border police, the settlers would not have been able to set this tent up in front of Ghassan’s shops. This event was clearly planned by settlers in conjunction with the Israeli forces.
Settlers blocking Ghassan’s shops.Palestinian women walking past the heavily guarded area around the tent.
