27th September 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Sarta, Occupied Palestine
Settlers burnt around 35 olive trees in the Palestinian village of Sarta late on Thursday night, following the area being declared a closed military zone in preparation for the construction of a new settler road.
Illegal settlers and Israeli army invading Sarta (photo by Nima Musleh)
Around 60 settlers from the illegal Bruchin settlement and surrounding area, many armed with guns, set fire to the trees late on Thursday 26th September. At around midnight, the settlers arrived in Sarta. The town mayor asked the Palestinian Authority to liaise with the Israeli army in order to intervene, but when Israeli forces arrived on the scene they informed villagers that the area had been declared closed and told them to leave.
Two days earlier, town residents witnessed four bulldozers arrive in the village to prepare the ground for the construction of the road, which will connect the settlement with road five and is part of an expansion plan for the settlement which will take it from 40 houses to around 550.
The proposed road and settlement expansion is a source of concern to local Palestinians, who stand to lose much of their land under new plans, including local features such as a 500-year-old cemetery.
7th September 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Qusra, Occupied Palestine
Last 29th of August, Israeli soldiers detained two municipal workers from Qusra as they were taking the village’s trash to the local dump. The two men were later attacked by Israeli settlers. Residents of Qusra fear that greater collusion between the army and the settlers will only lead to more attacks.
One of the workers shows his bruises after a settler attack (Photo by ISM)
Early Thursday morning, two army jeeps carrying four soldiers detained the men as they transported trash to the local dump. Rather than transporting the men to the military base at Huwwarra checkpoint, the soldiers deposited the men and their tractor on the lands close to the illegal Israeli settlement, Esh Kodesh. At approximately 9:30, the municipal workers were attacked by six settlers, who beat them with stones and also caused major damage to the municipality’s tractor. Following the attack, both men were taken by ambulance to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, where doctors ordered two to three days bed rest.
After the residents of Qusra were taken to the hospital, the settlers of Esh Kodesh stole the tractor and took it to Shvut Rachel, another nearby settlement. When members of the municipality appealed to the Israeli DCO (District Coordination Office) to locate the stolen tractor, Israeli officials stated that if they found it, they would confiscate the tractor for two months and require the village to pay 10,000 NIS for its return.
Though the village has used the same area for garbage collection for nearly 30 years, in the last three years, the Israeli army has attempted to prohibit dumping in the area. The village has no other areas in which to deposit trash, as all of the surrounding lands are considered area C and also prohibited for use. Employees of the municipality reported that this is the third time that the village’s tractor has been confiscated. The previous times, the municipality was forced to pay a 10,000 NIS fine for its return. Following the most recent incident, the mayor refused to pay the fine due to the violence inflicted upon the two men and his view that the attack was coordinated between the Israeli army and the illegal settlers.
The tractor was damaged by the settlers (Photo by ISM)
Eventually, the tractor was returned to the village, though there was extensive damage that will require more than 2,000 NIS for repairs. In addition to structural damage, the license plate was stolen off the tractor, which will take months to replace due to bureaucratic requirements; moreover, employees of the municipality noted the dangers of a Palestinian plate being in the hands of the settlers, as they can use the green, Palestinian plate to gain access to the surrounding Palestinian villages without garnering suspicion. The municipality reported the theft to both the PA and Israeli police in hopes of preventing future attacks.
Qusra village is located in the northern West Bank, approximately 28 kilometers southeast of Nablus. The villages’ 6,000 residents face constant, weekly attacks from the nearby illegal Israeli settlement of Esh Kodesh. Settlers frequently damage and uproot olive trees, burn village land, and attack residents. In 2011, settlers defaced the local mosque and attempted to set it on fire.
26th August 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Bruqin, Occupied Palestine
Today, Monday 26th August, Israeli occupation forces invaded the village of Bruqin in the early hours of the morning. The Israeli army then proceeded to enter twelve houses and arrest 11 young men from the village. The men were aged between 18 and 27 and they were held for 7 hours before being released at 10:00 this morning. A view of Bruqin (Photo by ISM)
Mohanned, a 27-year-old music teacher was one of the young men arrested, alongside his brother, 25-year-old Hammed. The brothers and their whole family were awoken by the Israeli army entering their house at 02:30. The soldiers demanded to see the ID of all the men present and gave no reason for their commands or presence in the village. The situation was very similar for 24-year-old Feher, a builder who was arrested at 03:00. Mohanned, Hammed and Feher were removed from their homes, blindfolded and handcuffed, along with the other young men taken. The Israeli army was described as “aggressive but not violent” with no injuries sustained.
One resident of Bruqin described the invasion as “quiet” although there were at least 50 soldiers in 5 military jeeps and this was “very frightening for the villagers”. He then continued to state that he believed this was supposed to act as an intimidating warning to the people of Bruqin.
It does not seem unrelated that the village is currently at risk of losing 700 dunums of land to the nearby (illegal) settlement of Bruchin. The below picture highlights the areas that are at risk and the residents have been attempting to fight this illegal theft of vital farming land over the last two months. However in order to adhere to the court process, the residents must access their land to attain the correct measurements to supply to the court. However due to violent settler attacks many people are unable to enter their own land and as such the mayor of Bruqin has had to apply for permission on behalf of the Bruqin residents. He is awaiting confirmation and as yet Bruqin has no information on the state of their court battle for land they legally own. Between the blue and yellow lines is the at risk land (Photo by ISM)i
All settlements in Palestine are illegal under international law and Bruchin is no exception. In 2012, the settler colony of Bruchin was “legalised” by the Israeli government, previously, even Israeli law classed Bruchin as an illegal outpost. Now that Bruchin has the “official” support of its own government, it is attempting to steal land from a number of villages to build 550 new settler homes. The residents of Bruqin, the legal owners of many of the dunums in question, are determined to fight this land grab, but many are apprehensive about repercussions from the Israeli army if they continue to resist. It seems apparent that from this morning’s action, their concerns are unfortunately justified.
21th August 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Balata Refugee Camp, Occupied Palestine
Last night, hundreds of settlers accompanied by Israeli forces invaded Balata refugee camp in Nablus to pray at Joseph’s Tomb. Israeli soldiers shot tear gas canisters and sound bombs at residents who protested the incursion – three youths were reportedly arrested.
At around 12am, several buses carrying hundreds of settlers, escorted by Israeli military, invaded Balata refugee camp. The settlers went to Joseph’s tomb to pray while Israeli soldiers separated into various groups and patrolled the area around the tomb. Residents of Balata, outraged by the incursion, left their homes to protest the invasion and were soon met with tear gas canisters and sound bombs shot at them. Soldiers blocked all entrances of the refugee camp, severely restricting movement of people in and out of the camp.
International activists were present at the scene and could witness how Israeli soldiers were shooting the teargas canisters directly at people rather than in an arc as the Israeli military guidelines on shooting teargas dictate. Soldiers also fired teargas directly into the narrow residential streets, several times hitting and damaging civilian cars. No one was injured there are reports that three Palestinian youths from the area were arrested.
Running from the tear gas canisters fired at protesters, one resident stated: “This happens every week. This is our life in the camp; constant settler and army invasions…the Israeli army comes with the settlers to protect them while they are praying but we, Palestinians, have no right to be in our camp”.
Indeed, this type of incursion is part of the daily life of Palestinian refugees living in Balata camp. Israeli settlers believe that Joseph’s tomb is a holy place, where Joseph is buried. Thus, groups of extremist settlers storm the camp and perform religious rituals on a weekly basis. Israeli soldiers, as usual protecting the settlers, shoot tear gas canisters and sound bombs at residents around the tomb.
19th August 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Bruqin, Occupied Palestine
On Thursday 15th August, Israeli occupation forces entered the village of Bruqin in the early hours of the morning. Four jeeps full of soldiers made their way first into the valley, and then into the village itself. The Israeli army at first did not exit their vehicles; they stayed inside the village for approximately 15 minutes before leaving. After 40 minutes had passed the jeeps returned, once again waking the residents, and this time the soldiers entered Bruqin on foot. This night invasion shortly follows the release of Mustafa Othman al-Haj, one of the 26 prisoners released on Tuesday 13th August.
Residents were concerned that Mustafa would be re-arrested in the raid, having seen that one of the jeeps appeared to be carrying Shabak (Israeli intelligence) agents, who appeared to be referring to information on a computer as they patrolled around the village. “It is common that they re-arrest these released people, or come and give them a warning in the night” said one resident of Bruqin. It was also witnessed that soldiers were carrying devices used by the Israeli military to forcibly break down doors, although they were not used.
Welcoming released prisoners on 14th August 2013 in Ramallah (Photo by Activestills)
Mustafa is one of five men from Bruqin who was arrested and held by Israel for many years. A further man is due to be released in the coming months, another in the next year, with the final two residents remaining in prison. Although Mustafa is now a free man, his release is not without conditions, for the next 10 years he must abide by certain guidelines and for the next year he must remain in a specific area of the West Bank. His return to Bruqin caused considerable celebration as he had been imprisoned for over 24 years. However, there is much to be concerned about in Bruqin and indeed the whole of Occupied Palestine; according to Addameer (Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association) since the “peace” negotiations were announced on July 19th there have been over 200 arrests.
Bruqin itself is not unused to the injustice of occupation, currently the village is at risk of having 100 dunums of land stolen by an illegal settlement. The villagers of Bruqin have attempted to contest these plans in court but so far there attempts have been unsuccessful. All settlements are illegal under international law but this has not stopped the loss of Palestinian land, in Bruqin and the West Bank as a whole.
