Tag: Tear-Gas Canister - Page 11 - International Solidarity Movement

Israeli attacks on Gaza farmers

3rd September 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Gaza team | Khan Younis, occupied Palestine

According to the Council for European Palestinian Relations the Palestinian agricultural sector’s contribution to the GDP dropped between 1993 (Oslo Accords) and 2009 from 13% to 4.8%, due to the illegal practices of the zionist entity, such as land theft, confiscation of water resources and control over exports.

During the successive aggressions against the coastal enclave, military bulldozers and Israeli tanks razed thousands of hectares of agricultural land, uprooting fruit trees and olive groves, destroying greenhouses and water wells in addition to bombing agricultural infrastructre with drones and warplanes. However, in Gaza, periods between wars are not much more peaceful for the peasants, as farmers from Khan Younis governorate, one of the most attacked by snipers and Israeli bulldozers can testify: “There is hardly any water and the water we have is salty. The option is to buy fresh water, but besides being too expensive its supply is almost nonexistent, we have only about 8 hours of electricity a day … how can we work, without electricity or water?”

Farmer showing gas canister that was shot by Israeli forces against his tractor

Mohamed A. T. adds, “We’re finally paying the zionists for the water that they rob us! But what choice do we have if our wells are salty and in many areas (within the so-called Buffer Zone) we are not even allowed to build wells. “

Additionally to the problem with water and electricity there are constant attacks on farmers by Israeli snipers and periodic incursions of military bulldozers to raze agricultural land. “My lands are relatively close to the fence, so I can not set foot in them between 6 pm and 6 am without getting shot at. What I can do if the electricity does not come before 6 pm? I have to leave my land without watering, risking the loss of the crop”.

Israeli sniper shooting against the farmers

Another obstacle that farmers in Gaza must overcome is the blockade, which prevents the entry of fertilizers and pesticides, increasing even more production costs and reducing, even more, productivity. “The blockade also prevents us from exporting, even to the West Bank. All these problems are destroying the economy of the peasants … we are all in debt. We all have debts with the municipality, with the water company, the electricity company. The lack of water and electricity is the final blow that’s killing us”.

After the latest massive attacks, Gaza’s farmers are afraid to re-invest in their land, as they know that in a future aggression these will be targeted again by the Israeli army. “Gaza survives thanks to charity… that’s the truth. It ‘s what our enemy wants for us. We hope that the people from Europe, America, Asia… listens to us and help us to end the blockade. Why they target peasants? We’re just normal people. Don’t we have the right to live in peace?”

Military bulldozers destroying agricultural land

Achieving education under occupation

31st August 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

The 28th of August 2016, a new school year in occupied Palestine has started after a 3-month summer holiday. In the occupied West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron), Palestinian children living in the H2-area, under full Israeli military control, are posed with a maze of checkpoints they have to navigate through back and forth from school.

In the area near the Ibrahimi mosque, a cluster of schools is located past the newly-‘renovated’ Salaymeh and Queitun checkpoints. In the Tel Rumeida neighborhood, that was formerly a closed military zone for several months, in addition to the checkpoints there’s a staircase closed by the Israeli forces and the ever-present threat of attacks, carried out by settlers from the nearby illegal settlements. These three checkpoints share the new layout of highly militarized and fenced off checkpoints. Usually only one person at a time is allowed to access the ‘box’ where ID-checks, bag-searches, questioning and humiliation takes place. Any other person trying to pass the checkpoint in the meantime is forced to wait behind a locked turnstile, that Israeli forces arbitrarily decide to keep locked to make people wait for an unknown amount of time.

Children forced to persuade soldiers to open the checkpoint-gate at Shuhada checkpoint

Around the Salaymeh and Queitun checkpoints, students, teachers and residents of the area additionally face tear gas that Israeli forces shoot from their comfort-zones at the checkpoints, often straight towards the schools. This form of collective punishment affects not only all the schools, but the whole neighborhood, when tear gas clouds linger in the streets. On Monday afternoon, when kids made their way home from school through Salaymeh checkpoint, Israeli forces shot a total of 10 tear gas canisters towards a group of boys throwing pebbles at the highly militarized and barricaded checkpoint, leaving many students choking from the supposedly ‘less-lethal’ gas. Wednesday morning, at Queitun checkpoint, 4 tear gas canisters were fired by the Israeli forces, at least one of which was directed horizontally at the children – in direct contradiction to instructions to shoot the ‘less-lethal’ gas in an arch over the head of persons in order to avoid serious injury and death of persons. Shooting in a straight line at the children, Israeli forces deliberately risk to hit a child with these extremely fast and thus dangerous canisters, that already have caused serious injuries and death of Palestinians in occupied Palestine.

Children running away from tear gas shot by Israeli Forces at Salaymeh checkpoint

On Thursday, Israeli forces locked the Ibrahimi Mosque checkpoint, entirely denying students and teachers passing in any direction access to their schools, without prior notice.

This is only the first week of school for children in Palestine, but Israeli forces are already using their routine harassment, intimidation and possibly deadly violence against children resisting this illegal and vicious occupation by the simple fact that despite the increasing efforts of the Israeli forces to make them disappear, they strive to achieve a good education.

School-children tear-gassed on 2nd day of school

29th August 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On 29th August 2016 Israeli forces at Salaymeh checkpoint in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron), fired rounds of tear gas as school-children attempted to make their way home through the highly militarised checkpoint.

The Salaymeh checkpoint, for many school-children, is one of the unavoidable checkpoints on the daily way to school and back home. At the highly militarised structures, the children attending schools and kindergartens in the area, are subject to bag-searches, harassment, questioning and detention by the Israeli forces.

On Monday, the second day of school after the 3-month summer holidays, as children were starting to pour out of the schools around noon, Israeli forces threw a stun grenade towards a group of children. Instead, it landed right in front of a girl quietly making her way towards the checkpoint on her way home. Scared by the stun grenade flying towards her and the lound boom of the explosion she ran away in the opposite direction in tears. In the meantime, at the checkpoint, children were repeatedly yelled at ‘to wait’ as Israeli forces refused to open the gate for them to go through the checkpoint in order to reach the other side. Israeli forces were heard yelling at children several times, and ordered a few boys to show them their hands in order to ‘prove’ stone-throwing if they are having dirty hands.

Children running away from the tear gas shot by Israeli Forces

Just a little later, Israeli forces fired rounds of tear gas in the direction of the schools, thus collectivly punishing not only all the school-children, but the whole neighborhood. As the tear gas canisters spread their supposedly ‘less-lethal’ gas and covered the area with the poisonous gas, some children escaped the clouds crying with their eyes red from the gas and coughing when choking on the gas.

This kind of excessive force and collective punishment by the Israeli forces, is just one aspect of the Israeli military occupation these school-children are forced to endure on a daily basis.

Israeli Army invades Kafr Qaddum (again)

19th August 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Kafr Qaddum, occupied Palestine

The people of Kafr Qaddum again tried protesting against the illegal Israeli military takeover of their village road, by attempting to march on it. Anticipating a demonstration, the Israeli Army and Border Police and Army moved into the village before the demonstration started. Border Police and Army soldiers blocked the way to the road to which people were planning to march, as well as set up snipers on the hills near the village.

Clashes broke out between them and Palestinian young men and youth, and the military fired rubber coated steel bullets.

After the demonstration began, people attempted to march to the main road, but the Border Police stood in the way and blocked the procession. Clashes then started again between them and the shebab, and they lasted for several hours.

The soldiers, in addition to rubber coated steel bullets, also fired high velocity teargas cannisters. Fired at a rapid speed and often aimed directly at people, they have maimed and killed in the past.

A military bulldozer was also brought in to try to extinguish burning tires that were set alight by some of the shebab. People began throwing rocks at it, and in response a stun grenade was thrown.

Despite the length and intensity of the clashes, fortunately no one was badly hurt or killed.

The struggle to regain the road, and to end the occupation that robs Palestinians in the village and elsewhere in the West Bank of their dignity and lives, continues.

Muhammad, a 15 year old boy, who was shot in the stomach by Israeli soldiers during clashes in early July.

Palestinian villagers in Kufr Kaddum confront the Israeli Army

Israeli Border Police in Kufr Kaddum, ready to fire on the demonstrators.

Israeli military fires high velocity teargas cannisters in Kufr Kaddum.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbgb0Batgqo&feature=youtu.be

Israeli Border Police opens fire on shebab in Kufr Kaddum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGQzsJEraFc

Israeli Border Police shoot Palestinian man in Ni’lin

29 July 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | Ni’lin village, occupied Palestine

On Friday afternoon, a group of Palestinian residents of Ni’lin village along with internationals and Israelis, tried to walk to the apartheid wall that cuts off many of the villagers from their farmland. The Israeli settlers on the other side of the wall are living on illegally confiscated land. The purpose of the demonstration was to protest against the wall, but also the march was in memory of Ahmed Musa, a ten year old Palestinian boy who was murdered eight years ago in this village by Israeli military forces. The march was also in memory of Saad, Reham and Ali Dawabsheh, who were burned alive by Israeli settler extremists last summer.

The demonstration started off peacefully as the people tried walking down the road to get to the wall. They were blocked by six Israeli Border Police officers and two jeeps, including one armed with long range teargas cannister missiles. The Border Police pointed their guns and teargas cannisters at the demonstrators, and refused to let them pass.

Soon afterwards, clashes started with the shebab- young Palestinian men and teenage boys who challenged their blockage of the path and disruption of a peaceful demonstration, by throwing rocks. The Israeli Border Police fired teargas and rubber coated as well as well as “foam tipped” bullets. They shot a 22 year old man in the hand, breaking it. In addition, they also shot teargas at people who were not throwing rocks.

The demonstration and resulting clashes lasted approximately two hours. The villagers continue their fight against the ongoing theft of their land.