Tag: Shuhada Street - Page 4 - International Solidarity Movement

#DismantleTheGhetto: start of campaign in al-Khalil

10th February 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Israeli forces and colonial settlers on Thursday, 9th February 2017, disrupted a peaceful protest near Qurtuba school on Shuhada Street in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron). Settlers attacked and injured one female student, and prevented Palestinian teachers and students from leaving the area. The event was organized by the National Campaign to Lift the Closure of Hebron as part of the ‘#DismantleTheGhetto: Take the Settlers out of Hebron’ campaign.

The day started with a celebration at Qurtuba school, which is located just above Shuhada Street, where most of the houses and businesses have been ethnically cleansed of Palestinians by the Israeli forces in the aftermath of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre. Students performed a play, sang songs, and the best students from each class were honoured, along with teachers.

Afterwards, the group walked towards the Qurtuba school stairs, which used to be blocked for access for Palestinians by the Israeli forces since the area was declared a closed military zone 31st October 2015. Now, depending on the whim of the soldiers, most days teachers and students are again allowed to go up and down the stairs to school.

As the Palestinians were chanting slogans against the occupation and for freedom for Palestinians in al-Khalil and for an end to the closed military zone and the ghettoization of this part of al-Khalil, soldiers at the bottom of the stairs immediately called for reinforcements and settlers started gathering.

Settlers gathering on Shuhada Street, insulting and threatening Palestinians.

The settler Anat Cohen, who is infamous for violently attacking Palestinians and internationals with complete impunity (search YouTube ‘Anat Cohen Hebron’ for several filmed examples, ran up the slope that separated the children from the soldiers on Shuhada Street and began violently to attack the schoolchildren. She was joined by another settler with a violent and aggressive history. This had been an entirely peaceful demonstration where children demanded their own freedom of movement and an end to the occupation of Palestine, according to their human rights. There was no provocation.

Infamous settler Anat Cohen harassing studnets and teachers

At the same time, students who were trying to go down the stairs to get home were detained by Israeli forces, while colonial settlers gathered on the street and at the illegal Beit Hadassah settlement opposite, ridiculing and threatening the Palestinians as seen in this video. As children were eventually allowed down the stairs they faced aggressive settlers, some armed with assault rifles, and Israeli soldiers chasing them down the street and yelling at them.

Palestinian student support down the stairs while settlers harass them

One female student was injured and unable to walk, and had to be supported by two teachers down the Qurtuba stairs, as Anat Cohen stood by filming them. Once she was down on Shuhada Street, the girl had to be carried in a chair by teachers towards Shuhada checkpoint so that she could get an ambulance on the other side. Palestinian vehicles, including ambulances, are not allowed on this tiny strip of Shuhada Street. Palestinians are only allowed to walk, not drive, and then only if they are registered as residents (for which they are checked by number not name).

Palestinians carrying the girl on a chair to the checkpoint

Israeli military forces and Israeli police officers were present and did nothing to protect this girl or any of the Palestinians and internationals present.

Sleeping on duty – occupation soldiers in Hebron

12th January 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On January 12th, 2017, Shuhada checkpoint in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) stayed closed for over half an hour, while–as it appears–soldiers were sleeping. In the meantime, long queues of Palestinians trying to reach their homes formed outside the closed checkpoint.

The Shuhada checkpoint connects the H1-area, supposedly under full Palestinian control, with the H2-area, under full Israeli military control. It leads straight onto the tiny strip of Shuhada Street that has not (yet) been ethnically cleansed of Palestinian presence. For the majority of Palestinian families living in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood, this checkpoint is the only way to reach their homes. On Thursday morning however, the checkpoint remained closed. The soldiers ignored all requests to open the gates, and the two available bells at the checkpoint were switched off. Palestinians leaving the area through a turnstile at the checkpoint repeatedly confirmed that there were no soldiers to be seen inside the checkpoint.

In the meantime, many Palestinians gathered outside the locked checkpoint-gate, waiting to reach their homes. Amongst them were many school-children that had just received their certificates for the end of the school-year.

Civilians gather as the checkpoint-gate remains closed

After more than 30 minutes, soldiers finally unlocked the turnstile allowing the people waiting to enter one by one. When passing through the checkpoint, behind the bullet-prof-glass, one soldier could clearly be seen lying on the ground with his backpack as a pillow, fast asleep. The other soldier, with his eyes barely open, waved people through.

Photo story: Jewish holidays bring harassment to occupied Hebron

6th October 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

The 3rd and 4th of October marked the celebrations of the Yewish New Year. In the occupied West Bank, Jewish holidays, celebrated by the settlers from the illegal settlements. This usually translates to an increase in harassment, restrictions and the presence of heavily-armed military occupying forces and settlers, often not only from the illegal settlements of the respective cities, but additionally ‘settler-visitors’. In occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), with the celebrations for the New Year now past, preparations for the upcoming week-long holiday of Sukkot are already underway.

Palestinian children play outside their homes - right next to heavily armed Israeli forces watching movement of Palestinians — Palestinian children play outside their homes – right next to heavily armed Israeli forces watching movement of Palestinians

During the two-day celebration of the Yewish New Year, the part of Ibrahimi Mosque that has not been confiscated by the Israeli forces has been closed entirely for Palestinians and Muslims. Sixty percent of the Mosque was illegally annexed by Israeli forces who installed a synagogue inside in the aftermath of the 1994 Ibrahimi Mosque massacre. Additionally, the nearby Ibrahimi Mosque checkpoint that connects the new Palestinian market (after the closure and ethnic cleansing of Shuhada Street, the former bustling Palestinian market, in the aftermath of the Ibrahimi mosque massacre) with the Ibrahimi Mosque area has been closed for Palestinians since Sunday night. This leaves Palestinians, including residents, school-students and teachers with only few options to reach school, work and their homes, as the closest alternative of Shuhada Street is ‘illegal’ to use for Palestinians under Israeli occupation ‘rules’. On Thursday, October 6th, both the Mosque and the nearby checkpoint were closed as well – even though there’s no official Yewish holiday; yet another arbitrary movement restriction on Palestinians in order to favour settlers.

These movement restrictions, which are solely and deliberately only enforced on Palestinians, have directly impeded the right to education in various areas. At Ziad Jaber school near the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba, school-students, their parents walking them to school and teachers had to cross paths with the heavily-armed settlers, and often undergo bag-, ID- and body-searches based on racial profiling by the Israeli forces. Young adult men are especially targeted by these arbitrary and often humiliating searches, where they are forced to lift up their shirts and trouser-legs, basically getting half-undressed in public.

Palestinian young men are forced to lift up their shirts and trouser-legs by Israeli Forces near Ziad Jaber school

A similar procedure is enforced on Palestinians when Israeli settlers from the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement walk down to Ibrahimi Mosque (the 60% of it where a synagogue was installed) in the evenings. As any Friday night, where the settlers have the same ritual for Shabbat, Palestinians are oftentimes stopped by Israeli forces who completely line the roads the settlers will be taking, in order to allow for settlers to pass the street before allowing Palestinians to continue their way. Often, Israeli forces stop especially young men and force them to undergo similar checks, ordering them to lift up their shirts and turn around, and then lift up their trouser legs.

Israeli forces at night force Palestinian to lift up his shirt

Opposite the al-Faihaa girls school in the Ibrahimi Mosque area, Israeli forces put up an additional CCTV surveillance tower, registering and locking Palestinians’ every movement. The structure is fenced off with concrete blocks and barbed wire, and always manned with at least two soldiers.

CCTV surveillance tower newly put up in Palestinian neighborhood

For the upcoming holiday of Sukkot, where many settlers from the illegal settlements all over the Israeli occupied West Bank are expected to visit the Ibrahimi Mosque (the 60% of it where a synagogue has been installed), preparations in al-Khalil are under way for making the area as empty as possible of any Palestinian presence. New sign-posts are being put up to indicate directions for the ‘visitors’. Changing and ‘Hebrew-nising’ street names, giving Hebrew names to houses illegaly taken over by settlers, etc. has already been identified as one of the tools of the Israeli occupation to lay claim to Palestinian property and streets – an obvious attempt to erase the Palestinian existence in the mind of the people first. At the same time, ethnic cleansing is slowly but steadily taking place, especially in the Old City of al-Khalil.

New sign-post erected by Israeli Forces near ethnically cleansed Shuhada Street

Continuing ethnic cleansing in closed military zone in Hebron

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

Israeli forces in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) are continuously increasing their efforts of ethnic cleansing in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood. In the area, declared a ‘closed military zone’ for almost a year, Israeli forces do everything imaginable to force the Palestinian population to move away in order to create an ethnically cleansed zone free of any Palestinian presence, geographically linking the illegal settlements.

The area of the ‘closed military zone’ (CMZ) that is solely and deliberately only enforced on Palestinians, while at the same time facilitating settler movement, has recently been extended to encompass the Tel Rumeida neighborhood in it’s entirety. On the tiny strip of Shuhada Street – that in the aftermath of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre hasn’t yet been fully ethnically cleansed of Palestinian presence – illegal annexation attempts are progressing continuously. For the few hundred meters of the street where some Palestinians are still allowed to walk and the whole Tel Rumeida neighborhood, Palestinian vehicular traffic, including ambulances, is forbidden and has effectively been made into a dead-end for Palestinians. The stairs leading to the Qurtuba school-area have been closed, again only for Palestinians, and the rest of the street continuing from there has already been ethnically cleansed and is now completely off-limits to Palestinians.

One of the main checkpoints needed to reach the area of the CMZ is the highly-militarized and fenced-in Shuhada checkpoint, where Israeli forces in the last few days have replaced their old list of ‘registered Palestinian residents’ with a brand-new copy. For the new list though, Israeli forces arbitrarily dropped many names of Palestinians previously registered, thus leaving them stranded at the checkpoint and denied passage to reach their own homes. How the ‘new list’ was created baffles the Palestinian residents, as there has not been any new ‘registration’ of residents in which Israeli forces would suddenly, usually at night time, show up in family homes in order to register names and ID-numbers of the present family members.

Whereas the Israeli forces are trying to enforce the ‘normality’ of family or friends, workers or medical personell – if Palestinian – as not being permitted in the so called ‘closed military zone’, Israeli settlers from the illegal settlements are free to go and come as they please. With hightened restrictions on Palestinian freedom of movement, Israeli forces at Shuhada checkpoint have additionally started forcing men to lift up their shirts and trouser-legs after having already passed the metal detector installed inside the checkpoint box, which ensures that no outside observer will see what’s happening inside. The sole reason for this, as for the whole existence of the checkpoint itself, is humiliation; humiliation to a degree where Palestinians decide to leave as there is no option to live a life with at least a shroud of dignity, where you’re treated like a human being – despite being born, and identified, as Palestinian.

Israeli forces continue annexation of ethnically cleansed Shuhada Street

20th September 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Israeli forces in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) are increasing their efforts to slowly annex even more of the tiny part of Shuhada Street where Palestinians are still allowed to walk.

The majority of Shuhada Street, once the main Palestinian market and connection between the south and north of the city, has been ethnically cleansed of Palestinians after the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre in 1994. More than 1800 shops on Shuhada Street were forced closed and their doors welded shut, and more than 600 families were forcibly displaced by the occupation army, creating a ‘sterile zone’ free of Palestinians, who’s mere presence in this area has been ruled illegal by the occupation. Out of the four settlements in the heart of the Old City of al-Khalil, three are located on Shuhada Street, and one is nearby in Tel Rumeida, conveniently connected with a road only settlers are allowed to drive on. This road extends further in the opposite direction all the way to the biggest illegal settlement on the outskirts of al-Khalil, Kiryat Arba.

The only few hundred meter of Shuhada Street, located between Shuhada and Daboya checkpoint, that are still accessible to Palestinian pedestrians, since October 2015 has been declared a ‘closed military zone’, covering the whole Tel Rumeida neighborhood; thus limiting the number of Palestinians able to use this street to registered – that is numbered – residents. Near Daboya checkpoint, which marks the ‘end’ of Shuhada Street for Palestinian residents, the spot where they’re not allowed to pass any further by the discriminatory legal system of the Israeli occupation based on racial discrimination, used to be the spot to reach Qurtuba school and the surrounding neighborhood – before these stairs have been permanently closed. Again, this closure is based on racial discrimination and only affects Palestinians, whereas settlers are free to use the stairs without any hassle. This closure effectively turned the small strip of Shuhada Street into a dead-end for Palestinians, as the rest of the Street is a no-go zone for Palestinians, and the only other option, the stairs, included in the ethnically cleansed area ‘free’ of Palestinians.

Sunday night, after Israeli forces gunned down 4 Palestinians in occupied al-Khalil in just two days, killing 3; the end of Shuhada Street leading into the ethnically cleansed part was marked with white lines, indicating a new limit for Palestinians till where they’re allowed to walk. Immediately after passing the first line – which is placed about 20 meteres from the checkpoint – Israeli forces will approach any Palestinian for the usual checks and humiliation all too common at checkpoints. The line was placed just few meters in front of the entrance to the house closest to Daboya checkpoint still inhabitet by Palestinians. Effectively, this means that whenever coming home, the residents are forced to cross this line, resulting in soldiers approaching them expecting them to try to pass further down the street. A second smaller line is marked with the Arabic word for ‘stop’, clearly illustrating that this command is deliberately only intended to affect the Palestinians. Therefore, the part of the street past the first line towards the ethnically cleansed part of the street has now become part of the ever-more expanding ‘sterile’ no-go zone for Palestinians.

Marking indicating in Arabic for Palestinians to stop. Shuhada Street.

The continuous annexation-efforts of the Israeli forces thus are going slowly, but steady, and so far have gone unnoticed by the media and the international community. With the closure of the Qurtuba stairs, the implementation of the closed military zone, and the now new restrictions though, the maze of areas effectively ethnically cleansed of Palestinian residents are increasing steadily, exacerbating the already almost impossible to navigate maze of checkpoints, restrictions, no-go zones, areas and arbitrarily declared closures, curfews, denials of passage and constant threat of injury or even death. All solely based on one distinct feature – being born Palestinian.