Tag: South Hebron Hills - Page 20 - International Solidarity Movement

Christmas day in the firing zone

by Team Khalil

25 December 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

The residents of two villages in the Israeli firing zone 918 in the South Hebron Hills experienced a fearful Christmas day as the Israeli soldiers and a tank conducted firing exercises in close proximity to their homes.

From late afternoon on 25 December the villagers were shocked as an Israeli tank fired several practice shots near the villages of Mirkez and Jinba. Shortly afterwards around forty soldiers from the Israeli army fired blanks as they simulated a skirmish. The soldiers staged an attack on a hillside which lasted for around an hour, during which the sound of gunfire echoed around the hillside barely fifty metres away from Mirkez. One Jinba resident remarked that the Israeli army had not held training exercises this close to the villages in twelve years and the villagers shut their doors in fear of another night raid.

The soldiers stayed in the area into the early hours of the morning and sporadic bursts of fire could be seen and heard throughout the night. The Israeli tank fired two rounds late in the evening, the booming noise of the tank fire could be heard throughout the firing zone causing distress to the nearby communities.

Two international activists walking between the villages during the night were stopped by a soldier and were only allowed to pass once he realised they were not Palestinian.

Local and international groups working with the affected communities have started a campaign to raise awareness of the routine infringement of the villagers’ human rights and the harassment they receive from soldiers and settlers alike. Details and a petition to the Israeli government can be found here.

Backgound

The area was declared a ‘firing zone’ for military training in the 1970s. The villagers, many of which have lived in the area for generations, live with the constant threat of eviction and home demolition as well sporadic water shortages and violence from the illegal Israeli settlers surrounding the area.

Earlier this month Israeli soldiers entered Jinba during a nighttime excursion and forced a terrified family to leave their home and stand in the cold for two hours while they destroyed the door to another cave in the village for no apparent reason.

Also in early December Israeli forces demolished the mosque in al Mufaqara which they claim was built illegally despite the fact that the settlements in the West Bank, all of which are illegal under international law, remain untouched.

Team Khalil is a group of volunteers of International Solidarity Movement based in Hebron (al Khalil)

Protest march and bike ride in South Hebron Hills firing zone [Update: Video added]

by Team Khalil

8 December 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

Close to one hundred protesters marched and rode bicycles in a peaceful march through several villages in South Hebron Hills on Saturday 8 December. The purpose of the symbolic protest was to draw attention to and oppose the eviction orders issued to eight villages in the area. Native Palestinians in the area near one thousand and have lived there for hundreds of years. The march started in At Tuwani and ended in Al Fahkeit.

Together with seven other villages, the village of Al Fahkeit is inside what the Israeli government considers to be a firing zone (see the Hebron area map here). This means heavy artillery is shot near Palestinian villages. The villages are also often target of restrictions, demolitions, evacuations and abuse policies by the Israeli army.

The event happened in spite of a large military presence. The protest was at its largest in the village of Al Mufaqarah, in which on the fourth of this month a mosque was demolished for the second time in less than a year.

The gathering was held with enthusiasm by women, men and children who often rode bicycles alongside internationals. As the demonstration came to a close, a Palestinian man climbed onto the rubble that was once the largest structure in the village and conducted afternoon prayer.

Video: Afternoon prayer on the rubble that was once the largest structure in the village.

Israeli army demolishes mosque in al Mufaqarah, South Hebron Hills

4 December 2012 | Operation Dove

At-Tuwani – On Tuesday 4 December at 6.30 am, two bulldozers together with a Border Police vehicle, four District Coordination Office (DCO) vehicles and five Israeli army vehicles arrived to the Palestinian village of al Mufaqarah, and demolished the mosque.

The mosque was already demolished by the Israeli army one year ago, on November 24, 2011. The inhabitants of the village had just finished to rebuild the mosque last October.

The village of al Mufaqarah belongs to Area C, under the military and administrative control of Israel. Every construction must be approved by the Israeli administration. Israel denies Palestinians the right to build on 70% of Area C, which comes out to about 44% of the West Bank, while within the remaining 30% a series of restrictions are applied which eliminate the possibility to obtain a permit.

While Palestinian villages of Area C are suffering an ongoing policy of demolitions, in the nearby outpost of Avigayil, illegal under the Israeli law itself, settlers are working on new buildings. These illegal constructions are tolerated by the army and police, despite repeated reports from international and Israeli activists.

According to the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Hague Regulations, the International Court of Justice, and several United Nations resolutions, all Israeli settlements and outposts in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal. Most settlement outposts, including Havat Ma’on (Hill 833) and Avigayil, are considered illegal also under Israeli law.

Operation Dove has maintained an international presence in At-Tuwani in South Hebron Hills since 2004.

Tent demolition in Susiya, South Hebron Hills

by Wyatt Black
1 December 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

On the morning of November 28th, numerous soldiers came to the village of Susiya in the South Hebron Hills, unannounced from the nearby settlement, which is also called Susiya. The army jeeps and construction equipment came rolling in around eight o’clock and quickly went to work without giving any information as to why they were invading someone’s private land, and proceeded to demolish a tent in the village.
Esha Ishboal erected a tent two years ago so that his workers could have some shade while picking olives on one of his families’ properties in Susiya, which is south of the city of Al Khalil (Hebron). It was a simple structure, not dirty or old. It had a metal frame and was almost always open on all sides but one, just enough to block some wind. Here Esha would invite his friends to have tea, or as in my case he’d ask a stranger if they would like some hospitality. That was the situation on his farm a couple weeks ago at least.
The table and chairs were spared but the tent itself was leveled. This was an especially lazy demolition since it wouldn’t have taken a bulldozer to bring the tent to the ground. A couple of soldiers could have done it in less than half an hour.

Esha Ishboal looks at the remains of his tent after the demolition

Wyatt Black is a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed)

House Demolished in Deirit, South Hebron Hills

November 6th 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

On the morning of November 6th, 2012, a house in the village of Deirit in the South Hebron Hills was demolished by the Israeli Army amidst most of the town watching and a significant amount of media coverage. The military started moving towards the location at approximately 6 am with two excavator cranes and one bulldozer. This heavy equipment was accompanied by multiple army vehicles and border police personnel who woke up the family and forced them from their residence.

The Israeli military gave no forewarning written, verbally or otherwise as to their homes destruction. The building of the house began three years ago and was on land that was perfectly acceptable and legal to build on. At that time the Israeli military said the digging of the foundations would be problematic but had not discussed anything further with a family that merely wanted to make a place to exist on using property they own.

The building was a solid concrete structure with steal reinforcement and was obviously well built and maintained.

Mohammad Moussa Abuarram was the home owner, he and his family of eight are now being sheltered at one of his brothers houses.

by Team Khalil

Villagers from Deirit sit on the debris after the demolition.