27th June 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine
In the Wadi al-Hussein area of Hebron, Israeli occupation forces have started to build a new road ‘for military purposes’. The route of the road is from the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba towards the city centre, directly across Palestinian-owned land.
Palestinian landowners explain the destruction of their land (Photo by ISM)
A military order has decreed the construction of this road, four metres wide and more than two hundred metres long, cutting through fields of olive and fruit trees owned by the Palestinian families living there. The stipulation on the width of the road has already been broken, with the route that has been cut by bulldozers being six metres wide in places.
In contrast to the military order to build a road, Palestinian landowners have been denied the right to build on their own land. Despite gaining approval from the Palestinian Authority, the Israeli authorities (who have the final say on civil matters in area H2 of Hebron) have refused permission to build a new house. Landowners also point out that there are two existing roads from Kiryat Arba built on Palestinian land for Israeli-use only, and ask why a third is required.
When occupation forces attempted to build this road initially, landowners and others tried to stop construction by sitting down in front of bulldozers, but this non-violent protest was met with arrests, fines and imprisonment, and by the bulldozer dumping a load of earth on top of them.
Landowners complain that Israel insists on applying those aspects of the Hebron accords that benefit settlers, while ignoring those aspects covering the rights of the majority Palestinian population. Using military orders to steal land is a tactic long-used by Israel. Land seized this way then later typically becomes part of the ever-expanding settlement project. All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, which bans the transfer of the occupier’s population into the land under occupation.
Israeli military guard bulldozer working on Palestinian land (Photo by ISM)
13 December 2011 | International Solidarity Movement West Bank
“I see my situation as a cowboy film, like the wild west” says Hani Jaber, showing ISM a poster, written in Arabic saying: ‘Wanted: if anyone has any information about the whereabouts of the killer Hani Jaber, please call us on this number and you will receive a reward.’
The number goes through to an answer machine where the message instructs callers to leave a phone number, promising to guarantee confidentiality and to pay good money. Other leaflets have been handed out showing pictures of Jaber and other recently released prisoners, offering rewards for information and leaflets for soldiers so that they can alert settlers if Hani passes through a checkpoint. Reports in the Israeli media suggest that the reward is $100,000 for information on Hani’s whereabouts.
Hani Jaber, ex prisoner
After serving eighteen years of a life sentence, Hani was released from prison on 18 December 2011, as part of the prisoner exchange deal which saw 477 Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for the release of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured by Hamas in 2006.
In 1993, Hani, 18 years old at the time, took a kitchen knife and stabbed to death the settler Erez Shmuel, who Hani claims had attacked his nine year old sister as she came come from school. Hani’s rage had built as he and his family experienced frequent attacks by settlers over many years. Hani had his jaw broken during an attack by four settlers, on another occasion his leg was fractured. His cousin, Aziza Jaber, was shot and killed by a settler as she was in labour and on her way to hospital – she was 30 at the time.
Hani was sentenced to life imprisonment and was kept in isolation for a total of five years. He spent two years without seeing his family – the only person who could visit relatively regularly was his mother; his father only got permission around once a year to visit and he has a brother which he didn’t see for 18 years.
Despite his prison term, Hani looks strong and healthy, his beard neatly trimmed and hair carefully side-parted. He seems calm and relaxed as we talk in a quiet corner in a nondescript café in Hebron. However, Hani and his father, Rasami, are careful to sit with their backs to the wall where they can see the layout of the shop. Rasami has rarely left his son’s side since his release from prison. “It’s a very difficult time, I’m afraid to leave him in case something happens – I stay with him or his brother stays with him to protect him.”
“I take the situation seriously” says Hani – “I don’t give any opportunities to anybody. I believe that I won’t lose my happiness with my freedom but I should be afraid sometimes…I don’t have any weapons or anything to protect myself, I only feel safe when I am with my family”.
When he was released from prison, Hani was given clearance to travel anywhere in the West Bank. However, a few days after his release, the police gave him a verbal order that he had to remain in Hebron for his own safety and that he had to sign in with the DCO (District Coordinators Office) every two months. But Hani says that his confinement to Hebron makes him feel like he is living under huge pressure in a “big jail” and is more vulnerable from attacks.
He says that his primary fear is from Palestinian collaborators rather than from settlers or soldiers. He is also fearful for his family, who have been attacked by settlers many times since his release.
Hani Jaber lives in secret location in Hebron for his own safety, it is too dangerous for him to return to his family’s home in Wadi Al-Hussain, a valley situated on the edge of Hebron’s old city. Their house faces Kiryat Arba, an illegal Israeli settlement of around 7,000 people, a few hundred metres away on the opposite side of the valley.
The Jaber family’s house has always been a focus of attacks by settlers, due to its proximity to the settlement. However, the attacks have escalated since it was announced that Hani would be released from prison. The house was attacked on the day of his release and Ibtisam Jaber, 33, Hani’s sister-in-law, was beaten and suffered a miscarriage three days later.
“The settlers came and attacked the house. Ibtisam lost her baby, nobody else was here because we were celebrating [Hani’s release]” said Moutasem Jaber, 21 – Hani’s brother.
On 19 November 2011 thousands of Israeli settlers and Zionists crowded into Hebron for Shabbat Chaye Sarah – celebrating Abraham’s biblical purchase of land on the site of the Ibrahimi Mosque. The family experienced a surge in attacks; they were attacked around 10 times – at one point there was over 100 settlers outside the house. They threw stones, urinated in the family’s well, and chanted “We will kill you” outside the house. The soldiers responded by entering the house and forcing the family to stay in one room for seven hours.
According to Hani, the family’s shop has been attacked and the house has been attacked at least seven times since his release. The Jaber family have reported the attacks and the threats to kill Hani to the police but they don’t expect any action to be taken.
“The government does not do anything against the settlers,” said Hani. They also say that the Palestinian Authority is unable to offer any kind of protection to Hani and his family.
“My case is not the only one” says Hani – “Many people have the same pressure. There are much harassment to all Palestinians – even if you’re not resisting and no settlers have been arrested after they harassed my family. They have evidence against them but the Israeli government will not do anything.”
Now that he has been released, does Hani think he can ever have a normal life with the death threats hanging over him and a bounty on his head?
“I’m not a terrorist, I didn’t do anything wrong and I think that I deserve to live a normal life, to get an education, to get married and to live like normal people” he replied “but now after all this harassment from the settlers I’m afraid to get married because I will destroy someone else’s life.” Hani says that if he was to study or work it would be a huge risk to take at the present time.
Even considering the brutal attacks that his family has faced from settlers, does he not think in hindsight that his actions were wrong? Does he have any regrets?
“I believe that I haven’t done anything wrong, and I have the right to live a normal life, and I have the right to be a fighter if there is an occupation in Palestine. With all the attacks from settlers it makes people react and to fight and resist – this is the normal thing, it’s not normal to sit and do nothing.”
But does he still believe that this is the most effective way to resist?
“At that time I was 18 years old, it was impossible to take all this darkness from the Israelis except in this way. Even after 18 years in the prison I see that the settlements are larger, the occupation is stronger and everything is getting worse. I believe that I did the right thing at the time but now I want to live as a normal person. I believe that I have to stay in one place, and that is the only resistance I can do because I think the fighting time is over.”
Alistair George is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).
22 November 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank
As thousands of Israeli settlers and Zionists crowded into Hebron on Friday night, November 19th, and Saturday for Shabbat Chaye Sarah – celebrating Abraham’s biblical purchase of land on the site of the Ibrahimi Mosque, some Palestinian neighbourhoods experienced a surge in settler attacks.
Wadi Al-Hussain, a valley situated on the edge of Hebron’s old city was the focus of attacks. The Jaber family lives far down the hill, near to the road reserved for settler traffic leading from Kiryat Arba, an illegal Israeli settlement home to around 7,000 people, to the Ibrahimi mosque in the old city. Their house faces the settlement a few hundred metres away on the opposite side of the valley. They have experienced many settler attacks but Saturday was a particularly harrowing day for the 17 Palestinians of several generations which live in the same large house.
Um Safaway Jaber, 28, described what happened to the family.
“We were attacked around 10 times – at one point there was more than 100 settlers outside. The soldiers put a curfew on us and didn’t allow us to leave the house but the settlers were free to use this road. We didn’t accept this curfew because the settlers were attacking us and we didn’t want stones to be thrown at the house. We shouted at the settlers, they shouted at us and said bad words against us. They said ‘we will kill you’, not just harassment – it was threats. We were lucky that a journalist was in the area filming, although the journalist was bitten by settler’s dog. The settlers attacked the journalist and the guys [Palestinians] went to defend the them.”
Um Safaway Jaber’s husband was arrested by the Israeli military.
His brother, Moutasem Jaber, 21, said “The soldiers forced their way into the house and arrested my brother because he was trying to protect the women and the family from the settlers. Then the settlers went to the police station to make a complaint against us that we were attacking them! After that they came back and had a demonstration outside the house. They brought video cameras to film the reaction of the Palestinian families and they tried to attack us. “All of us went inside and we didn’t go out because we didn’t want any more trouble but the soldiers came and they put the whole family in one room, they closed the door on us and they didn’t allow us to leave the room from 1pm to 8pm. After 8pm, the soldiers left the house – we went out and we didn’t see any settlers outside, just lots of soldiers.”
Moutasem’s mother, 63 year old Um Tariq Jaber, added that ” The family was following the Israeli decision not to open our shop or be in the street but the settlers still came and attacked us.”
Many families were targeted by settlers in Wadi Al-Hussain yesterday but the Jaber family was seemingly singled out for a heightened level of violence. A member of the family, Hani Jaber, was released by the Israeli authorities on 18 October 2011 as part of the prisoner exchange deal that saw 477 Palestinian prisoners released (with a further 550 to be released in a second phase thought to be in December) in exchange for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was captured by Hamas in 2006. Hani Jaber served 18 years of a life sentence after being found guilty of killing a settler from Kiryat Arba.
The Jaber’s house was also attacked on the day of his release and Ibtisam Jaber, 33, Montasem’s sister-in-law, was beaten and suffered a miscarriage three days later. “The settlers came and attacked the house. Ibtisam lost her baby, nobody else was here because we were celebrating,” said Moutasem.
“I told the police that they wanted to kill him,” said Moutasem – “all of this harassment was included in the complaint to the police but we don’t expect them to do anything. The police said that the case is ongoing so we’ll see. Hani grew up in this house and now he can’t come here because he’s afraid for his life.”
Alistair George is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).
