Tag: Video - Page 7 - International Solidarity Movement

“No Palestinians during the holiday”: Palestinian man harassed during Sukkot

21st October 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Late Thursday morning, as Palestinian schools in the Old City of occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) were dismissing their students early due to enhanced settler activity, Israeli forces harassed a Palestinian man and denied him his right of movement through the large parking lot near the base of al-Ibrahimi Mosque. The reason for this incident, as well as the increase in settler activity, was due to the weeklong Jewish holiday of Sukkot, the Feast of the Tabernacles. Throughout this entire week, Israeli Forces have increased their numbers stationed around the Mosque, and it was one of these members of the occupation forces that decided to harass this Palestinian civilian.

The man, a local tour guide in the Old City of al-Khalil, entered the parking lot in order to reach a group of Turkish tourists who had just arrived. Upon setting foot in the lot, two members of the Israeli Border Police approached him, with one using his hands to physically shove him away from the cordoned off entrance. As he tried to explain that he merely wanted to pass through to reach the tourists, the border policeman raised his voice and shouted at him to get back. When the man asked why he was not allowed to pass through when so many tourists were permitted to, the answer he received was, “You are Palestinian. No Palestinians pass through here during the holiday.” The man had no choice but to turn around and walk around the parking lot.

The denial towards Palestinians of their right to movement by Israeli forces is a fundamental weapon of the occupation. By preventing Palestinians from entering historical and religious sites, and working to minimize their presence around Jewish festivities, Israel uses the excuse of the holidays to continue its process of ethnically cleaning al-Khalil of its indigenous Palestinian population. On Wednesday, Israeli Forces came out in force to block off a road in the so-called Palestinian controlled H1 area to allow settlers from the illegal Israeli settlements to have access to a supposed prayer site in the city. This is merely one of the many examples of how Jewish holidays act as a cover for forceful intimidation of Palestinians.

The harassment of this man this morning is symptomatic of the devaluation of Palestinian life under the Israeli occupation across the land of Palestine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrToi8Hq2AM

The slow creep of ethnic cleansing – closed military zone in Hebron

30th September 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Israeli forces in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) have further expanded the closed military zone (CMZ), now covering the whole Tel Rumeida neighborhood, while setting up new and enforcing existing checkpoints with increased restrictions.

Parts of the Tel Rumeida neighborhood and the tiny strip of Shuhada Street that have not fallen prey to Israeli illegal annexation and ethnic cleansing, creating a ‘Palestinian-free’ zone, have been a CMZ since the end of October 2015. However, the borders of the CMZ have now been further extended to include the entire Tel Rumeida neighborhood. Checkpoints that have formerly been roadblocks preventing Palestinian traffic throughout this neighborhood, are now additionally permanently staffed with Israeli soldiers. Palestinian residents, at these newly staffed checkpoints, are often kept waiting by Israeli forces for hours, denying them passage stating ‘military orders’, while at times at the same moment telling them to ‘just go around’, which would ‘only take 2 minutes’. On Wednesday, 28th September 2016, Israeli forces forced a whole group of Palestinians, including small children to wait to reach their homes for over two hours – and then suddenly just walked away from the checkpoint, thus allowing for Palestinians to pass.

Whereas Palestinian residents, in order to reach their own homes, were already forced to register as residents – a status which, depending on the soldiers mood, might allow them to reach their homes; within the newly added parts of the CMZ, Palestinians are arbitrarily and deliberately kept waiting without any reasons – except for being Palestinians.

Palestinian detained by Israeli forces for trying to reach his own home — Palestinian handcuffed and detained by Israeli forces for trying to reach his own home

These arbitrary and racist practices are not new to the Palestinian population of Hebron in general, and the Tel Rumeida neighborhood in specific. The sole and very obvious aim of these tactics is to force Palestinians to leave the area and thus extended the illegal settlements in this neighborhood by creating a zone ethnically cleansed of any Palestinian presence.

Remembering Muhammad al-Durrah and the stolen dreams of Palestine

29th September 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Gaza, occupied Palestine

Mere days ago, on the 22nd of September, the city of occupied al-Khalil (Hebron) remembered and mourned the murder of 18 year old Hadeel al-Hashlamoun, another Palestinian youth executed in cold blood by Israeli forces outside the Shuhada Street checkpoint one year ago. Today, on the 30th of September, all of occupied Palestine bows its head in mourning and raises its fist in resistance on the 16th anniversary of the deaths of Jamal al-Durrah and his 12 year old son Muhammad.

On this day 16 years ago, Israeli forces unleashed their militarized terror upon the streets of occupied Gaza, firing indiscriminately upon anything seen as a threat, which at this time was any Palestinian within sight. Even Palestinian medics were forced to run for cover as bodies lay bleeding on the ground. On this day, every Palestinian person was reduced to just that in the eyes of the Israeli occupying forces: a body to be targeted. Two of these bodies were Jamal and young Muhammad.

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

16 years ago, the world was presented with a French journalist’s video documenting in incriminating clarity the final moments of a young, frightened, innocent boy who had not even reached his teenaged years. As Palestinians run frantically for cover, the camera focuses in on Muhammad as his father attempts to shield him behind a concrete cylinder. In what seems like an instant, gunfire rains down upon the two of them and the entire scene is covered in smoke. As the smoke clears, young Muhammad’s body is seen slumped over his father’s lap. Jamal musters his last remaining strength to sit his upper body up. He wavers back and forth for a few moments, the body of his son laid across his legs, before the spark of life leaves his body as well.

In the 16 years since Muhammad’s execution, Palestine has never ceased to live under the iron grip of Israeli state terrorism. 16 years has brought military crackdowns, arbitrary arrests, fear and intimidation across the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. 16 years has brought countless land grabs in the expansion of illegal checkpoints and illegal Israeli settlements. 16 years has seen Israeli forces and settlements “pulled out” of Gaza, only to be replaced by a complete economic blockade as Israel surrounded its borders on land, sea, and even the militarized sky above. 16 years has brought multiple genocidal assaults on Gaza, the latest, dubbed “Operation Protective Edge”, slaughtering over 2,000 Palestinian lives. Over the course of the last 16 years, the land that Muhammad al-Durrah lived, played, and dreamed on has continued to live under the sledgehammer of an illegal military occupation attempting to erase Palestinian bodies and memories from existence in order to lay claim to a stolen nation.

There is much to remember from these past 16 years, and each day brings more horrors for the people of Palestine. Yet today, let us remember the death of an innocent boy whose only crime was living in the land of his birth. May his unknown, yet forever present dreams shine a light on the entire land of Palestine today and remind us that all we struggle for is life itself.

Continuing injustice: One year since extrajudicial execution of Hadeel al-Hashlamoun

22nd September 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

One year has passed since the extrajudicial execution of the Palestinian student Hadeel al-Hashlamoun by Israeli forces at Shuhada checkpoint in occupied al-Khalil (Hebron). One year without justice for the family of the slain teen – one year of complete lack of consequences and continous impunity for the soldier who executed Hadeel in cold-blood despite her not posing any threat, and despite photo and video-evidence. But also one year, in which this culture of impunity for the cold-blooded murder of Palestinians has been fostered further and emboldened the Israeli forces to continue gunning down Palestinians – a crime that in Israeli society is no longer considered a crime.

18-year old Hadeel al-Hashlamoun, on the 22nd September 2015 crossed the then not yet highly-militarized and fenced-off Shuhada checkpoint. Israeli forces at the checkpoint were yelling at her – in Hebrew – the language of the occupying soldiers, that most Palestinians do not understand or speak. Despite a Palestinian bystander translating between the girl and the soldiers, Hadeel was shot several times with live ammunition in her upper body – at a point where she was at a 5 meter distance from the soldiers behind a metal-fence and could under no circumstances have posed any kind of threat to the soldiers. Israeli authorities claim that Hadeel was holding a knife. Whether or not this is the case video- and photo-evidence clearly shows, she was far away from the soldiers, and not approaching or moving towards any of them.

As in most of these kind of incidents, after Israeli forces gun down Palestinians, she was left to bleed to death on the ground, while Israeli forces threw stun grenades at a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance outside the checkpoint in order to prevent any medical treatment. Instead, in a video she can be seen pulled by her feet on the ground, seemingly in order to prevent any journalists attempting to take photos despite the stun grenades to get a shot of the dying, slowly bleeding to death, teenager. At the same time, settlers were gathering and looking on, taking their own photos and videos. At a later point, she was kidnapped to an Israeli hospital in far-away Jerusalem, whereas the Palestinian medical crew prevented from reaching the seriously injured girl would have been able to evacuate her to the nearby at only 5-minutes distance Palestinian hospital in al-Khalil. In contrast to the majority of Palestinians gunned down, her family was “granted” the right to bury their daughter, a right Israeli forces now tend to deny to families by kidnapping the bodies and refusing to hand them over to their families.

As has become all to common, the executioner of Hadeel has not had to face any consequences for the cold-blooded killing caught on camera. In the recent weeks, Israeli forces have again increased the use of lethal force against Palestinians, gunning down 10 Palestinians in only 6 days.

Israeli soldiers invade Bil’in in attempt to break the people’s spirit

22nd September 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah-team | Bil’in, occupied Palestine

Approximately fourty soldiers invaded the central West Bank town of Bil’in early morning of September 22nd. The army confiscated at least three laptops, one hard-drive, five phones, and two camera memory cards from the homes of six local activists. Bil’in community members feel this was part of an ongoing attempt to break the spirit of the town and disrupt the ability for community members to share their stories on social media.

Israeli forces in Palestinian family home Photo credit: Haitham al-Khatib — Israeli forces in Palestinian family home
Photo credit: Haitham al-Khatib

The soldiers barged into Bil’in at 2:30 A.M., waking up entire households, including several children. They then interrogated the activists, and haphazardly searched through their entire homes. Ashad Abu Rahmah, who is attaining his masters in Business Administration, realized after the soldiers left his home that they had taken his computer hard drive. “They want to break our courage and willingness to post anything about Bil’in on social media and news sources,” states Ashad. “But they will not succeed in this,” he continues.

The army suggested they would return the stolen items to some, but historically, promises such as this have been little more than empty words. Haitham Al Khatib, who filmed the invasion says, “I am still waiting for them to return my car, and video recording devices which they confiscated from me in a night raid before three months”.

Ashraf Abu Rahmah, whose home was one of those raided, saw the loss alone of items totaling around 4,500 shekel worth of technology. Ashraf has spent significant time in prison from consistent arrests. In 2008, while blindfolded and handcuffed as caught on tape, Ashraf was shot in the foot by a soldier. He is also the brother of Bassem and Jawaher Abu Rahmah, both of whom were killed by by Israeli army in Bil’in. For families like Ashraf’s in particular, it’s incredibly important to have access to cameras and computers in order to share internationally the stories of what takes place in Bil’in.

Additionally, the homes of Rateb Abu Rahmah, Abdullah Abu Rahmah, Bassil Mansour, Muhammed al-Khatib and Ahmad Abu Rahmah were also raided.

Watch a video of Israeli forces storming into the homes of Bil’in activists.

Night raids have deep psychological impacts on children and adults alike. Many community members struggle with persistent nightmares and Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder. Raids such as these have been a consistent disruption in the town of Bil’in for over seven years, with no sight to an end of this terrorizing tactic.

After similar raids in the past, the town has seen an increase in arrests of non-violent activists for resisting the illegal annexation of Bil’in to the illegal Israeli settlement Modi’in Illit. But this raid will not deter the community from attending nor documenting the weekly demonstrations which have taken place for the past 11 years against the illegal annexation of their land.