Tag: Settlers - Page 57 - International Solidarity Movement

UPDATE: Woman arrested in Hebron is accused of stone throwing by a settler

19th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Team Khalil | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

UPDATE: Zleikha was released from custody at around midnight, on the condition that she reports back to the police station today.

During Zleikha’s interrogation, an Israeli settler was brought by the Police and asked, ‘is this the woman who threw stones at you?’ to which she replied ‘yes’. This fundamentally flawed method of identification further illustrates how far removed the Israeli military is from any credible system of justice.

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Zleikha Muhtaseb being arrested from her home

Israeli forces tonight,18th May, abducted 51 year old Zleikha Muhtaseb from her home on Shuhada Street, in the old city of Hebron. Zleikha was helping her son complete his homework when a squad of Israeli soldiers invaded her house and took her. She was subsequently taken to be interrogated at the police station in the illegal Israeli settlement of Givat Ha’avot.

Israeli forces claim she was taken on suspicion of stone-throwing, although she was abducted from her home. Such unfounded allegations are regularly used in Hebron to justify arbitrary arrests and detention, of young and old alike – for example, 27 children arrested at random on their way to school in March of this year were accused of throwing stones. It is more likely that Zleikha was arrested for her defence of human rights and resistance to Israeli Occupation.

Zleikha Muhtaseb’s home is on Hebron’s Shuhada Street – an area closed to Palestinian access by the israeli military. Because of these closures, she and her family can only access their home from a back entrance, experiencing the extreme restriction of movement imposed by the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian city of Hebron. Zleikha speaks out strongly about the injustices suffered by Palestinians in Hebron – a more likely reason that she was arrested than throwing stones.

Video by muthich.

13 year-old boy shot and beaten by settlers, leg broken

16th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Team Nablus | Qaryut, Occupied Palestine

The young Qaryut boy here has his entire right leg in a cast, expecting a potential surgery. — The young Qaryut boy here has his entire right leg in a cast, expecting potential surgery (photo: ISM)

At about 2pm on 16 May, a 13 year-old boy was shot at and beaten by settlers; he broke bones in his leg running from the shots at him and from being beaten. After falling, the boy was threatened with his life by settlers, but soldiers arrived and stopped the settlers from killing him before threatening the young boy with three guns while he lay injured and immobile on the ground.

Initial medical attention was not allowed during the time Israeli soldiers had taken the boy into their custody, implying that he would be treated in an Israeli ambulance. However, three hours later, the boy had to be picked up, untreated, by the Red Crescent and taken to Rafidia hospital in Nablus.

Nablus' Rafidia Hospital took this X-ray showing the teenager's broken bones from his attack (photo: ISM) — Nablus’ Rafidia Hospital took this X-ray showing the teenager’s broken bones from his attack (photo: ISM)

When solidarity activists saw the boy, his entire right leg was wrapped in a cast. Later he described that he was sitting on his land which is close to an illegal Israeli settlement bordering Qaryut and famous for attacks such as olive tree torching. Settlers shot at him and he ran from the shots. When he fell, the settlers beat him and were going to kill him, but soldiers arrived and told the settlers could not. Afterwards, the soldiers also shouted at the boy with guns pointed at him.

The boy may undergo surgery for his broken bones.

Just two days before this attack, Qaryut faced an olive tree torching attack from another nearby illegal Israeli settlement and the village has a history of well-documented settler attacks on its land. In addition, Israeli military have closed a Qaryut road to Nablus and Ramallah for Palestinian use as the road is not far from illegal Israeli settlements on Qaryut land. Currently, 15 mostly young Qaryut men have been arrested for activism in peaceful demonstrations against the key road’s closure.

Sawiya night attack by settlers sees property damaged and graves vandalized

15th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, As Sawiya, Occupied Palestine

By ISM Nablus

In the early hours of Monday morning, a group of Zionist settlers from the Eli and Rechalim colonies attacked the Palestinian village of As Sawiah, east of Salfit.

The two graves spraypainted, including a Star of David, a Jewish symbol co-opted by the Zionist movement (Photo by ISM)

At about 3am, As Sawiah’s residents were sleeping as settlers attacked, first targeting a garden shop that had trees snapped and pots and plants thrown. The settlers continued to damage property letting down tires of two tractors and a car with spikes. The vehicles are essential to Palestinian farmers for their work and livelihood. Settlers continued in their attack by vandalising two graves near a family home, where they graffitied ‘Revenge for Arabs’ in Hebrew.

These attacks show the constant threat that settlers pose to the indigenous inhabitants to Palestine, where the attacks are often violent and deadly. When faced with attacks on property with varying degrees, the Palestinian people have no legal recourse or protection from the occupying forces. Eli, founded in 1984 and now spread over nine hilltops, has even contravened Israeli planning guidelines in its quest for growth; as well as stealing even more privately-owned Palestinian land this year from neighbouring Qaryut and all in direct – and defiant – contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention and several UN Security Council resolutions specifically on Israeli settler-colonial activity. Rechalim, meanwhile, has in recent years stolen land from the villages of Yatma and As Sawiya.

Plant pots were smashed too along with the trees that were snapped (Photo by ISM)

What land remains for As Sawiya's villagers cannot even be worked on without gross hindrance (Photo by ISM) — What land remains for As Sawiya’s villagers cannot even be worked on without gross hindrance (Photo by ISM)

The settlers handiwork leaves not just a need for repairs, but also a sense of insecurity (Photo by ISM)

Puncture marks left by the spikes, time lost for this farmer not depicted (Photo by ISM)

“Nothing forbidden for them, but nothing allowed for us”

14th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Qaryut, Occupied Palestine

By Team Nablus

Settlers from the illegal colony of Shilo set fire to land belonging to the nearby village of Qaryut. Around 25 families own land in this area. The land contained wheat crops and olive trees and is next to land previously stolen by settlers, which they had been cultivating for themselves only two days before.

Illegal Shilo settler Moshka takes pictures of his handiwork, torching Palestinian land. (Photo by ISM) — Illegal Shilo settler Moshka takes pictures of his handiwork, torching Palestinian land (Photo by Qaryut villagers)

Red Crescent paramedics went to the scene of the fires at around 6pm, where many villagers had already arrived hoping to put out the fires. However they were prevented from doing so by four settlers and half a dozen soldiers who had turned up to protect the settlers. Villagers were made to stand and watch their future harvest go up in flames. With the fires building up they had nothing to do but argue in vain with the soldiers about the gross immorality of the situation.

The settlers present also prevented the fire from spreading on to the annexed land they have been cultivating. It was clear to see the fires had been deliberately lit as there were many separate fires in a close range, rather than one large fire spreading on the overcast and wet day. Villagers witnessed Moshka, one of the settlers – (who is a regular problem causer; his son is a patrolman for the settlement too) – use a lighter to set fire to their land. The fire was only put out by the arrival of heavy and atypical rain from a thunderstorm an hour later.

Two days prior to this attack the settlers had started ploughing stolen land and cut down four trees. They have been expanding the settlement on the Palestinian side of the highway to Ramallah and Jerusalem. Fifteen dunams of land was torched. Meanwhile two dunums of wheatfields had been burnt in the South Hebron Hills earlier that day.

A familiar sight, soldiers and settlers working together (Photo by Qaryut villagers)

Village of Azmut organises first demonstration against the Israeli occupation and land theft – settler road blocked successfully

10th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement | Azmut, Occupied Palestine

By Team Nablus

On Friday 10th of May, around 60 people from the village of Azmut, near Nablus, supported by 6 international activists, demonstrated against the Israeli occupation and systematic land theft by illegal settlements. The action was successful, but the residents continue to suffer heavily the effects of Israeli policy in the West Bank.

Demonstrators walking towards stolen Azmut land

The demonstration started from Khirbat al-Aqrabaniya, a village situated at the base of the hill where the settlement of Elon Moreh was illegally established in 1980. The protesters walked for about one hour over the hill to reach a big plane of land (around 500 dunums), which was recently stolen in a land-grab by the settlers of Elon Moreh. After the community of Azmut gathered for Friday prayer, Palestinian flags were placed on the land that the villagers have been working for centuries.

After this, the demonstration moved to the road that was lately built up by the settlers to reach the land that they have taken from Azmut. The protesters blocked the road with large rocks in order to prevent settler’s tractors and cars entering the land. Israeli soldiers and settlers were unaware of the surprise action and were not present in the area during the demonstration.

View of Elon Moreh settlement from Azmut village

The village of Azmut has faced many problems since the start of the Israeli occupation, and their situation was aggravated by the illegal construction of Elon Moreh – stealing over 50% of the village land. The settlement was further expanded four months ago, stealing even more land. As well as this land grab, the farmers of the village are weekly harassed and attacked by the settlers, especially during the olive harvest.

Within the last months settlers have cut down olive trees and attacked houses with rocks, terrorising their inhabitants. Israeli occupation force’s incursions are also part of the daily life of the village. Every week Israeli soldiers come into the village, either for inspections or to arrest people. In the last two months 7 people have been arrested and 5 of them are still in jail in “administrative detention”, without any charge or trial.

The residents of Azmut are struggling for justice and their legitimate right to work their land, and they will not give up protesting until this situation changes. The Israeli land appropriation policy, the settler’s violence and arbitrary arrests by Israeli soldiers are an obstacle to peace and therefore must stop immediately.