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Live ammunition fired at Deir Jarir demonstration against land grab and settler violence
17th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Team Nablus | Deir Jarir, Occupied Palestine
The village of Deir Jarir today, 17th May, held its fourth consecutive weekly demonstration to protest Israeli land grab and settler violence against its villagers. The rally was violently suppressed by Israeli forces, who shot large amounts of tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets at demonstrators. Live ammunition was also fired.
At 12am, around two hundred people gathered on a hilltop near the village where they held a long and emotive speech, followed by midday prayers. Soon after that, participants started to march, accompanied by a bulldozer, which was being used to work the land, along the road constructed the week before. Israeli forces located on the opposite hilltop, begun shooting tear gas at protesters, starting multiple fires in the valley.
Palestinian youth then confronted Israeli soldiers and border police officers as they continued shooting tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets at them. Over the course of the demonstration, the fire spread through the whole valley, damaging crops and olive trees on the land. A Palestinian fire brigade truck arrived at the scene, but was prevented by the Israeli forces to put out fires on the Palestinian land.
Israeli forces, who were spread across the hill in groups of five or six, continued to shoot tear gas canisters, rubber coated steel bullets – occasionally live ammunition shots were also heard by Palestinian and international activists. Despite the extreme levels of violence, no one was injured.
The protest finished at around 3.30pm when Israeli forces were driven from the scene by Palestinian protesters. Unarmed protesters from Deir Jarir began to hold weekly demonstrations a month ago, as violence and land grabs by settlers of the nearby Israeli settlement and outpost. Several weeks ago, settlers established a new outpost on a hilltop situated on Deir Jarir and Silwad’s land but Palestinians dismantled it after a Silwad villager was severely attacked by settlers. The village of Deir Jarir was also raided by settlers who set fire to ten of the resident’s cars. Previous demonstrations where villagers have tried to work their land have also been violently suppressed.
Human Rights Report No. 474
Human Rights Summary: Settlers backed by Israeli military destroy crops and prevent land cultivation
Date of incidents: 11 May 2013
Place: South Hebron hills, Um Il Aris, Yattoush
Witnesses: Residents, Anarchists Against the Wall, Ta’ayush, IWPS
Contact details: IWPS withholds this information as a courtesy to those
involved. However, we will do our best to furnish you with the information you
may require, on request.
Description of Incidents:
Every week the farmers and herders of South Hebron hills request accompaniment from international activists to access their lands. At 07:00 this morning, IWPS and 23 other activists went to the South Hebron hills to document the aftermath of a settler attack the previous day, as well as accompany a farmer to his land.
The group met with the owner on his land, where he pointed out the illegal settlement outpost of Mitpe Yair which has been recently expanded (three greenhouses were illegally set up and soil prepared for wheat cultivation). As soon as we entered the area, 20 soldiers, four police and three border police attempted to deny us access to the land, stating it was a closed military zone. The entire group refused to stop walking until the documents were physically produced. The military never showed us the documents and we sat for an hour and a half while the Hebrew speakers and the land owners conversed with the army.
After two hours and the arrival of more than 10 Israeli military jeeps, the land owner decided it was time to leave. We then drove to Atwani, where last night the settlers set fields on fire, burning 60 olive trees. The owner of the land and his sons succeeded in putting the fires relatively quickly. After the owner contacted his local civil administration, the military came to the burned plot. They asked, “Whose land is this?” He told them it was his and his family’s; that he had tilled and planted it for 20 years. The soldiers then said, “No,” and said it was the settlers’ land and if he did not leave immediately he would be arrested. When we arrived a few settlers, all dressed in white, walked side by side with the army who unsuccessfully attempted to detain several Israeli activists.
During the British mandate this entire region of South Hebron hills was designated agricultural zone, meaning that no structures were allowed to be built, with the exception of settlements. The lands in this area are often re-appropriated by the Israeli government which in such cases issues a statement claiming the land was empty or underutilized, without taking violence from the settlers or the military into account.
Date of report: 11-5-13
Human Rights Report No.473
Human Rights Summary: Azmut residents protest land confiscation
Date of Incidents: 10 May 2013
Place: Azmut, Nablus Governorate, Palestine
Witnesses: Residents of Azmut, IWPS, ISM
Contact details: IWPS withholds this information as a courtesy to those involved. However, we will do our best to furnish you with the information you may require, on request.
Description of Incidents:
On Friday 10 May 2013 the residents of Azmut village organized a demonstration to protest the recent confiscation of village lands by the illegal Israeli settlement, Elon Moreh. At 10:00, approximately 60 residents of Azmut, joined by international solidarity activists, boarded a bus to drive to the nearby lands. Residents report that between 200 and 500 dunams were confiscated at the end of April by some 200 settlers, who have begun cultivating the land.
Protesters walked for nearly one hour through the nearby fields, eventually reaching the area where midday Friday prayers were held. Following the prayer, some protesters moved stones onto the newly constructed road leading from the Elon Moreh to the agricultural land in order to obstruct the settlers’ passage to the land. Protesters stated that the demonstrations will continue until the land is returned to its rightful owners and the settlers discontinue planting and working on the land.
Azmut is located east of Nablus city in the northern West Bank. The village has suffered land confiscation and violent settler attacks since the establishment of the illegal Israeli settlement, Elon Moreh in 1980. The harassment, intimidation and violence from the settlement are particularly severe during the annual olive harvest. In 2008, residents of Azmut were repeatedly attacked by Elon Moreh settlers, who destroyed a Palestinian family’s car as they attempted to harvest their crops. In 2010, armed settlers fired live ammunition at residents of Azmut during the harvest.
Date of report: 10 May 2013
Human Rights Report No. 472
Human Rights Summary: Settler demonstration leads to road closures
Date of incidents: 8 May 2013
Place: Zatara junction, Salfit Governorate, Palestine
Witnesses: IWPS
Contact details: IWPS withholds this information as a courtesy to those involved. However, we will do our best to furnish you with the information you may require, on request.
Description of Incidents:
At approximately 16:30 on May 8, the Israeli army closed Zatara checkpoint in the central West Bank due to a settler demonstration in the junction. The roads from Ramallah to Nablus, Zatara to Jericho and Yasuf to Zatara were all closed to Palestinian cars.
At 17:00, IWPS was notified that a flying checkpoint had been established on the road to Yasuf village.Cars were still allowed to pass through to Yasuf, but were prohibited from traveling in the other direction toward the junction. One army jeep and 4 soldiers were stationed at this flying checkpoint. When IWPS volunteers arrived to Zatara, the demonstration was over, though a large army presence was still built up in the area. A number of illegal settlers were still in the parking lot adjacent to the road junction. Hebrew graffiti was written over the Arabic portions of road signs and a number of settler protest signs had been erected in the junction. There was traffic congestion on the road that runs parallel to Route 60 from the East, as cars attempting to bypass Zatara to travel toward Jericho were prohibited by the Israeli military and Border Police, who also randomly searched cars that passed through the checkpoint. IWPS was notified by a resident of Yasuf that the flying checkpoint was removed at approximately 20:45, allowing travel to and from Yasuf.
Palestinians living close to Zatara junction have been recently subject to increased road closures, check points, and military and settler violence in the last week after a settler from the illegal Israeli settlement of Yitzhar was killed last week. Following his death, much of Road 60 north of Ramallah was closed, including Zatara and Huwarra junctions, as well as roads passing through Yasuf and Awarta villages.
In response to the settler’s death, there have been a number of demonstrations in Zatara junction, the first of which included an attempt to establish a new settlement on the site. Last Tuesday, in the area surrounding the illegal settlements of Yitzhar and Bracha, particularly in the villages of Burin, ‘Urif, Madama, and ‘Asira al-Qibliya, settlers set 57 fires on the lands and attacked local Palestinians with stones. The Israeli army assisted the settler attacks, firing tear gas at Palestinians and preventing local residents from putting out fires on their lands.
Date of report: 8 May 2013
HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT No.470
Human Rights summary: Kufr Qaddum Demonstration; Youth chase soldiers away from town center
Date of incidents: 3-5-13
Place: Kufr Qaddum
Witnesses: Community of Kufr Qaddum. IWPS, ISM, AATW
Contact details: IWPS withholds this information as a courtesy to those
involved. However, we will do our best to furnish you with the information you
may require, on request.
Description of incidents:
On Friday 3 May 2013 the residents of Kufr Qaddum organized a demonstration in resistance to the closure of the village’s main road which leads to Nablus, and to the Israeli occupation. Prior to the official start of the demonstration, the Israeli army entered the road closest to Qedumim settlement and chased young men who had assembled back toward the village.
At approximately 13:00 the demonstration began, as a crowd of around 75 people marched along the village’s main road, chanting anti-occupation slogans. As the crowd walked toward the road closure, IWPS observed some 30 soldiers and 2 military jeeps on the hill overlooking the village, a greater army presence than usual. Upon reaching the usual protest area down the road, protesters met Israel occupation forces and Border Police who were parked along the road toward the illegal settlement. The soldiers would sporadically speed into the village, driving around defensive barricades built by protesters, only to retreat back toward the settlement.
A group of men from the village gathered near a field nearly halfway down the march route to observe the soldiers at the top of the mountain. At nearly 13:30 soldiers began descending down the hill toward the protesters standing in the field. The army repeatedly shot tear gas canisters and threw sound bombs at the youth gathered in the field. At 13:45, fires erupted in the fields due to the tear gas canisters and nearly 40 olive trees were burned. Soldiers continued to fire tear gas at the young men who attempted to put out the fires.
After nearly 30 minutes of tear gassing the field, some 20 soldiers charged down the hill toward the protesters to try to make arrests. The protesters escaped down the hill and regrouped with others standing along the main road. The residents of Kufr Qaddum moved toward the village center and were chased by a bulldozer that was used to clear away defensive stone barricades erected by the townspeople. Once the road was cleared, the “skunk truck”, a truck that shoots foul-smelling chemical water, advanced upon the protesters, spraying them and the surrounding houses. Two military jeeps drove into the town and soldiers shot more tear gas. The military also brought the “Tempest”, a weapon that is attached to the top of a military jeep that deploys multiple tear gas canisters simultaneously.
By 15:00, the demonstration ended, though many residents returned to the fields to battle the wild fires in the olive groves as the soldiers looked on from the hill above. Two people were injured by tear gas – a local organizer and a journalist who was shot in the face – and one teenager suffered a fractured arm while running from the tear gas. No arrests were made that day in Kufr Qaddum.
Kufr Qaddum is located in the Qalqiliya Governorate in northern West Bank. The town of approximately 4,000 people has been heavily affected by the nearby illegal settlement of Qedumim. Though the village lands are approximately 24,000 dunams, 11,000 dunams are located in Area C (under Israeli control) and are thus completely inaccessible to the residents of Kufr Qaddum; 4,000 dunams have been stolen for the establishment and expansion of Qedumim.
In 2003 during the Second Intifada, the main road of the village was closed by the Israeli army and has remained closed until the present. Residents are forced to travel longer routes to bypass the closure; travel to the neighbouring town of Jit has increased from 1.5 km to nearly 15 km and the distance to Nablus has doubled from 13 km to 26 km. Residents reported 3 deaths between 2004-2006 due to the inability to reach the nearest hospitals in Nablus.
Residents of Kufr Qaddum have held regular Friday demonstrations since 2011. Ever since the demonstrations started, the town has experienced increasing repression by the Israeli army, including frequent night raids, twice-daily checkpoints at the village entrance, and violent attacks using stun grenades, tear gas, attack dogs, and rubber-coated steel bullets. In April 2012, a 17-year-old resident of Kufr Qaddum was shot in the head with a tear gas canister, causing multiple skull fractures. At present, the teen has not regained his ability to speak.
Date of report: 3-5-13
HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT No.469
Human Rights summary: Municipality warns of settler attacks; Israeli military destroys property and arrests 6 youths
Date of incidents: 1-5-13, 2-5-13
Place: Deir Istiya, Hares, Kifl Hares
Witnesses: Community of Deir Istiya, Hares, Kifl Hares, IWPS
Contact details: IWPS withholds this information as a courtesy to those
involved. However, we will do our best to furnish you with the information you
may require, on request.
Description of incidents:
1-5-13 at 21:40 an announcement was made over the mosque loudspeaker that settlers were planning an attack. A warning was issued to stay wake and on watch for possible violence. At 22:45 IWPS began a night watch in Deir Istiya and learned that DCO had contacted Salfit Government who communicated to Hares, Kifl Hares and Deir Istiya municipalities that settlers were surrounding villages and to be on the lookout for possible attacks targeting the mosques from the illegal settlements of Yakir, Ariel and Revava. The men of Deir Istiya, Hares and Kifl Hares stayed up all night on the streets keeping watch over the village.
2-5-13 at 1:00, approximately 30 Israeli soldiers were seen along with two army vehicles on the main road outside of Hares. At 2:00 the soldiers entered the village. The 30 soldiers entered a house premises on foot and asked a 15-year-old for his 21-year-old brother by name. The brother of the young man stated the person they were looking for is a university student and was not in the house. The military entered the home and forced the 10 members of the household to sit in one of the downstairs rooms as the soldiers searched the house four times. When the soldiers did not find the 21-year-old student they were looking for, they grabbed his 15-year-old brother who had answered their questions at the door. One soldier began to bind the boy’s hands and blindfold him but another stopped him, stating they would continue when they were out of sight of the family. The soldiers stated to the family that their son “had caused some problems” and they would return him in two hours after questioning. The soldiers left the family a handwritten note for the 21-year-old older brother to meet Captain Afiq at the Qalqiliya checkpoint at 9:00 on 9/5/13.
Captain Afiq came to the door of another house in Hares ordering the family to “count your sons” and then referencing one by name whom he wanted to see outside for “five minutes”. The 16-year-old was then blindfolded and handcuffed from behind. The arrested youth’s 20-year-old brother is currently serving a total of nine months in Megiddo prison (three months for a stone throwing charge, plus six additional months for it being his second offence). The entire 10 person household, the youngest being 12 years old, were forced to stay in one room for two hours. The soldiers also broke the front gate and damaged the door by forcing it open.
Simultaneously, a 23-year-old was taken by the Israeli military for the second time. At 1:00 the mother of the household heard a noise, opened her window and saw an Israeli soldier jumping over the fence that surrounds her yard. Around 30 soldiers came into the family courtyard, some entered the house. The family of 11, with 9 children and a father with a neurological disorder who frequently loses consciousness, were pushed into one room. The soldiers had a slip of paper with one of the son’s name printed; the young man was woken up and brought to the next room where they would not let him retrieve his identification card nor would they allow him to dress. The soldiers blindfolded him and tied his hands behind his back while his mother attempted to give him clothing. This young man, who has previously been in prison for a year, was told that he was “again making problems” and will get a five-year sentence.
Between 2:30 and 3:00 the army entered two separate houses in the village of Deir Istiya. The soldiers were observed entering from the illegal settlement of Yakir through the hillside olive groves. The soldiers took two minors outside and started questioning them about who was throwing stones and what the announcements from the mosque were. In one case the soldiers took the entire family outside and then searched their house while they were not present and then left. No arrests were made in Deir Istiya that night. A 22-year-old and 18-year-old were arrested in the village of Kifl Hares at 2:30.
HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT No. 468
Human Rights Summary: Militant illegal settlement gangs of armed settlers accompanied by Israeli occupation army attacked villages Burin, Asira and Urif.
Date of incidents: 30-4-13
Place: Burin, Asira, Urif
Witnesses: Communities of Burin, Asira, Urif, IWPS, ISM,
Contact details: IWPS withholds this information as a courtesy to those
involved. However, we will do our best to furnish you with the information you
may require, on request.
Description of incidents:
Following yesterday’s killing of a Jewish settler form the militant illegal Yitzhar settlement, gangs of armed settlers accompanied by Israeli occupation army repeatedly attacked villages Burin, Asira and Urif.
At 8:00 IWPS was notified that Zatara junction was closed. The entrance to Yasuf was closed; no cars were allowed to enter or leave and no settlers were seen coming in. Burin reported 50 settlers attacking the town and setting fires on the land. Zatara, Huwarra and the road to Awarta were closed by Israeli military. IWPS attempted to walk through Huwarra and were denied but were able to reach our destination through a back road. By this time the settlers were no longer present in the village, although the Israeli army stayed in Burin for most of the day.
Attacks began in the village of ‘Urif. Around 50 settlers came into the town and threw stones at the windows of the boys high school. Three students were injured by broken glass before the army came with five trucks and 30 soldiers. At 11:15 the school was showered with tear gas. One student was hit in the head by a tear gas canister and most of the students were taken to hospital. The school closed and standoff continued between the settlers/army and the residents of ‘Urif.
The settlers lit at least five fires around the school and the army prevented anyone from putting out the fires. The army shot tear gas and sound bombs for the next three hours, also pepper-spraying several residents. 20 people from ‘Urif were hospitalized from the gas. Both the sound bombs and tear gas used was seemingly a new, more intense variety. Later in the afternoon, settlers threw Molotov cocktails at heavy machinery in ‘Urif and continued to set fires to the land.
At 12:30 attacks began in ‘Asira al-Qibliyah. As one local woman put it, the settlers “burned the mountain.” As we arrived in ‘Asira, the air was thick with smoke and we could see one fire still burning in the fields closest to the settlement, though the settlers had already left and the soldiers had retreated to the nearby fields. A team of two people stayed on a roof to observe, while another team of two accompanied journalists around the area to show them the damage.
During this walk, the team observed many fires on the hillside close to Huwwara. The team also drove to the road near Awarta that was being used as an alternative route in order to bypass the closed Huwarra checkpoint. When we arrived, we saw hundreds of cars lined up at the intersection being held by 30 soldiers. Locals reported that the road had been closed for an hour and a half for cars and that people were only permitted to pass on foot. At this point, there were very few options for Palestinians to travel to their homes or to work and the most direct route from Nablus to Ramallah was completely impossible.
On the way back to ‘Urif 40 settlers had entered ‘Asira al-Qibliyah and were attacking the houses with stones. As we returned, we observed approximately 15 new fires set by the Yitzhar settlers. We ran into the fields, where many young men had gathered. Palestinian firefighters were present, trying desperately to put out the dry, burning fields. Nearly 25 settlers were at the top of the mountain and approximately 75 soldiers and Border Police were positioned throughout the fields. As the settlers moved toward the nearby village of Madama, the soldiers and Border Police began to push, assaulting Palestinians and ordering them back to their houses. This situation was very tense and it seemed at any time the soldiers would attack fully and start arresting people. Several times during the skirmishes, soldiers cocked their guns and pointed them directly in the faces of Palestinians, including boys as young as 10. These altercations lasted approximately 45 minutes before the community noticed the settlers coming down the hill on the other side of the town.
Many people ran through the fields to attempt to protect the houses and people there. When we reached the opposite hill, there were nearly 20 settlers throwing large stones, some with slingshots. At the same time, soldiers shot many tear gas canisters, the majority of which were fired at head height and from an extremely close distance, in violation of Israeli army’s own regulations which require tear gas to be fired at an arc. IWPS and ISM stood with the Palestinians for an hour. After being questioned about why the soldiers were not removing the settlers from Asira’s land, the soldiers stated: “We’re trying, but we can’t do anything.” In response to a request by IWPS to call the police (as Israeli settlers are subject to Israeli civil law), the soldier screamed that they were “Trying! But the police aren’t here yet.” The settlers retreated to the settlement and the soldiers and Border Police violently pushed many Palestinians back toward ‘Asira. The Palestinians refused to leave until they had succeeded in driving the settlers out. One person was taken to hospital after being shot in the hand with a tear gas canister.
At 18:30, there was a demonstration of nearly 600 settlers at Zatara junction. At 22:00 the army shot flares around the school in Burin and 20 police cars were observed driving into Yitzhar. The deceased settler’s funeral has taken place and there is fear the settlers will focus on violent retaliation.
Date of report: 30-4-13
HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT No.467
Human Rights summary: Israeli military terrorizes organizing efforts in Nabi Saleh
Date of incidents: 26-4-13
Place: An-Nabi Saleh
Witnesses: Community of An Nabi Saleh, IWPS, AATW
Contact details: IWPS withholds this information as a courtesy to those
involved. However, we will do our best to furnish you with the information you
may require, on request.
Description of incidents
On Friday, April 26 2013, the residents of Nabi Saleh held a demonstration against the Israeli occupation. They were joined by Israeli and international solidarity activists, along with national and international media. Around 13:00, following the Friday prayer, the protesters met in the central square of the village and began the demonstration after a short speech. The protesters marched from the town center toward the main road that leads into the village. At the main junction, several Israeli military vehicles were present, along with the “skunk-truck” that is frequently used to shoot foul-smelling chemical water throughout the village.
Protesters marched up a hill toward the land that leads to their water spring, Ein al-Qaws. Residents of Nabi Saleh have been forbidden to access the spring: settlers from the nearby illegal settlement of Halamish have confiscated it. As the demonstrators reached the top of the hill, Israeli soldiers approached and immediately began shooting tear gas. The crowd dispersed and some of the protesters went back to the village, seeking shelter from the gas in nearby houses. As 10 soldiers approached from the land near the spring, another 10 soldiers advanced along the main road. The soldiers assembled near the gas station and surrounding houses and continued shooting tear gas at the protesters for approximately one hour. At approximately 14:00 the demonstration ended. No arrests were made.
Nabi Saleh is a village of 600 people, located in the Ramallah Governorate. Residents of Nabi Saleh began demonstrations against the Israeli occupation and the theft of their water spring in December 2009. The Friday demonstrations are met with violence from the Israeli forces each week, as soldiers and Border Police shoot “skunk water”, rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, sound bombs and live ammunition at non-violent protesters. Two men, Mustafa and Rushdi Tamimi, were murdered by Israeli forces while attending the demonstrations, in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Most recently, a Spanish solidarity activist was shot 3 times with plastic-coated steel bullets and was hospitalized.
Date of report: 28- 4-13
HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT No. 466
Human Rights Summary: Kufr Qaddum Demonstration; hospitalization and fire due to Israeli military tear gas
Date of incidents: 26-4-13
Place: Kufr Qaddum
Witnesses: Community of Kufr Qaddum. IWPS, ISM, AATW, Qalqilya municipality
Contact details: IWPS withholds this information as a courtesy to those
involved. However, we will do our best to furnish you with the information you
may require, on request.
Description of incidents:
On Friday 26 April 2013 a festival took place in Kufr Qaddum in the courtyard of the local schools, followed by a march. Hundreds of people were in attendance, including the Minister of Prisoner’s Affairs, representatives of the municipality of the Qalqiliya district and the President of Prisoners Club.
Following the festival, there was a march through the center of the village to the main road where the people were met by Israeli military jeeps and Border Police. The road, together with the surrounding hills and houses were doused with tear gas using a weapon dubbed “the tempest”, which shoots dozens of tear gas canisters simultaneously, causing a fire in the surrounding fields and hospitalizing five people. Thirty soldiers entered the village, shooting rubber-coated bullets; the march completely dispersed.
Kufr Qaddum regularly suffers abuses from the nearby settlement of Qedumim and constant violence from the Israeli military. The weekly Friday protests targeting the main road closure are only one part of the ongoing resistance. The people of Kufr Qaddum will continue to build strength in their struggle until the end of Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Kufr Qaddum is located in the Qalqilya Governorate in northern West Bank. The town of approximately 4,000 people has been heavily affected by the nearby illegal settlement of Qedumim. Though the village lands are approximately 24,000 dunams, 11,000 dunams are located in Area C (under Israeli control) and are thus completely inaccessible to the residents of Kufr Qaddum; 4,000 dunams have been stolen for the establishment and expansion of Qedumim.
In 2003 during the Second Intifada, the main road of the village was closed by the Israeli army and has remained closed until the present. Residents are forced to travel longer routes to bypass the closure; travel to the neighbouring town of Jit has increased from 1.5 km to nearly 15 km and the distance to Nablus has doubled from 13 km to 26 km. Residents reported 3 deaths between 2004-2006 due to the inability to reach the nearest hospitals in Nablus.
Residents of Kufr Qaddum have held regular Friday demonstrations since 2011. Ever since the demonstrations started, the town has experienced increasing repression by the Israeli army, including frequent night raids, twice-daily checkpoints at the village entrance, and violent attacks using stun grenades, tear gas, attack dogs, and rubber-coated steel bullets. In April 2012, a 17-year-old resident of Kufr Qaddum was shot in the head with a tear gas canister, causing multiple skull fractures. At present, the teen has not regained his ability to speak.
Date of report: 27-4-13
HOUSE REPORT No. 31: ‘Asira Al-Qibliyah Clean-Up Day
23 April 2013
On 23 April two people from IWPS and four from ISM went to ‘Asira for a work day to clean an empty house that is to become a community center. Ten locals directed the work and labored alongside internationals. The courtyard was covered a foot-deep in mud, grass and rubbish. After the debris was removed, the courtyard was cleaned with water. The building consists of three rooms: a living room, a kitchen and a small bathroom. The living rooms walls were scrubbed and cleaned, since much of the paint and plaster was falling off due to water damage. This room will be used in the future as a classroom for the women and children of ‘Asira.
The kitchen, which will be used to make soap, was covered in ash since the fire two years ago. The team scrubbed it with brushes and water, making a lot of progress but it still needs a lot of work. The bathroom and toilet facilities were cleaned but need much more work because the plumbing will not work until a new tank in procured. The new tank costs 700 shekels and the women’s center is currently looking for a funding.
The town ‘Asira Al-Qibliyah is located near Nablus city. It is a town of 2,500 people with a strong women’s group. In February 2013 the Palestinian Authority accepted a founding of a new women’s center in the town. The women have scheduled a programme of embroidery, soap-making, women’s health classes and more. One of the women in the group donated her old house to be a center but the house was in bad shape and needed a lot of cleaning.
Date of report: 23-04-2013
HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT No. 465
Human Rights Summary: Treatment of families attending court cases of their teenage sons
Date of incidents: 18 April 2013
Place: Salem Military Court
Witnesses: IWPS, EAPPI, Anarchists Against the Wall, Palestinian families
Contact details: IWPS withholds this information as a courtesy to those
involved. However, we will do our best to furnish you with the information you
may require, on request.
Description of incidents
At 7:40 on Thursday 18 April, IWPS arrived at Salem Military Court, where a crowd of about 40 family members were waiting outside the high barbed-wire fencing, gates and watch-tower. A shed-like structure provided some shelter, with some benches and a few plastic chairs which were wet from the night’s rain. A water fountain was provided, but no toilet facilities. A solitary stall selling coffee and refreshments was being run from a van nearby, where personal possessions could also be deposited for a small fee, as no electronics are allowed inside the court.
At about 8:00, an army jeep arrived behind the fence, and some soldiers arrived to man the first checkpoint. When the gate was opened, a soldier came out with a list of the names to be allowed priority entrance. The first few family members, upon inspection of their IDs, were then allowed entrance through the first turnstile, and proceeded to a white door, through which they disappeared slowly, two at a time.
Gradually, as more people arrived, a considerable crowd was building at the first gate. A maximum of two family members were allowed for each hearing. Families are not given an appointment for these court-cases, so with every passing minute comes the worry that they may miss the chance to attend the hearing (See HRR 458). An Israeli official shouted for order, after which a more orderly line was formed. At one point, the vehicular gates opened, and an army jeep passed through, en route to military training. Minutes later, gun shots were heard from the adjoining land.
After passing the first turnstile is a small yard with a crowd of about 30 people, all waiting to pass through a white door. The orderly queues of the early morning had disintegrated, and everyone focused on getting through the white door as soon as possible. Gun shots were again heard from the Palestinian land adjoining the court.
Through the next door everyone is asked to remove any metal objects while their ID cards are examined; then they must walk along an open-air path for about 100 metres, enclosed all the way by barbed-wire fencing on every side. This leads to another building with a waiting room and toilet facilities which are in dire need of cleaning. About 20 people were crowding to get through the next metal detector and another turnstile. Following the next turnstile is a desk, where IDs, car keys and mobile phones are taken by Israeli soldiers; visitors then enter a small room separately for a full body search with a soldier of the same sex.
After all these procedures, a door leading to the main waiting area opens. At the time of IWPS visit, the yard contained a drinking fountain and 2 toilet cubicles, a single pedestrian-width gate which led to the courtrooms and a pre-fabricated building with seats. In this area, families wait without reading materials, food, tea or coffee facilities. Some attend hearings and leave by 10:00 or 11:00, others are there until court closes at 16:00. People crowd around the single gate, through which the names of the defendants for the next court case are shouted. Those sitting in the waiting room were relying on the fact that someone would alert them if it was their child’s case, as they would not hear the name otherwise. Many crowding around the gate were trying to catch glimpses of the defendants on their way to and from the courtrooms. At one point, an army soldier took it upon herself to move everybody back from the gate to an arbitrary point in the yard.
A mother waiting to attend a hearing reported to IWPS that she had become separated from her older son on the way through all the security measures. EAPPI and Anarchists Against the Wall were there to attend several cases from a different village. IWPS was also allowed admission to these cases; everyone was led into benches in a courtroom. At the top of the courtroom was the judge’s desk. To the right, there was a stall into which the prisoners were led. At right angles to the judge’s desk were three more desks: for the lawyers, army scribes, and army personnel.
In all cases, the parents were led to the bench in the far left of the room, the one furthest away from their imprisoned children. A metal guard-rail separated the officials from the public area, where we sat. The door was guarded by 3-4 police officers who constantly wandered in and out.
The first court cases witnessed by IWPS went quickly: most did not last more than 10 minutes. Prisoners, all of them teenage boys, were led to a stall handcuffed and shackled, wearing brown prison uniforms. Handcuffs were removed for the duration of the court case. The proceedings were conducted in Hebrew and translated into Arabic. It seemed that the majority of cases were being postponed. From the position of the families at the far end of the court room, they could do little but look at their sons, and communicate with a few hand gestures. In one case, while parents were trying to mouth a message to their son, they were told by a police guard to stop.
After each court case, the family members are allowed one minute to talk to their sons. They do this from behind the guard-rail set at a right angle to where their sons stood. In each case, the police guard would point to where the family can stand, which was 2 metres diagonally away from their son. If the parents came closer to their child, they were ushered back. No physical contact was possible, the conversation was usually abruptly ended with “Khalas, khalas” ["Enough, enough" in Arabic] from the soldier. The son would then be handcuffed and led out of the court, while the parents were led out another door in the opposite direction, sometimes getting a glimpse of their son behind them.
In one case, a father sat tearfully through the whole case, and refused the 1-minute opportunity to talk to his son at the end. After the court case, this man was seen sitting dejectedly on the ground in the waiting area. IWPS was informed by EAPPI that his wife had died about two weeks previously and his imprisoned teenage son was unable to attend the funeral.
In the next hearing IWPS attended, a mother and brother initially sat on the central bench of the court room, but were ushered over to the far-left bench. The mother tried to explain to the guard that she had difficulty hearing, but was still directed to the far-left bench, despite the central ones lying empty. Eight Israeli soldiers and police were present. Several were playing with their mobile phones. The soldier who was translating from Hebrew to Arabic did so casually, and only within the earshot of the imprisoned boy. The family were unable to hear this translation. The mother signaled him that she could not hear, but was ignored. There were many interruptions to the case: doors were banging on both the left and the right sides of the room; police and army personnel were constantly coming in and out. The mother’s view of her son was regularly obscured by lawyers and the army. At one point, the soldier who was translating to Arabic left the room to answer a phone call. When the mother got the chance to talk to her son, there were conversations going on in close proximity all around her, thus she struggled to communicate across the 2-meter distance. Her son’s case was deferred for another four days, meaning that two members of her family would have to go through the same journey again later in the week.
Written by Annette
Edited by Alex
HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT No.464
Human Rights summary: Use of cruel and unusual punishment in An Nabi Saleh
Date of incidents: 19 April 2013
Place: An-Nabi Saleh
Witnesses: IWPS, ISM, Anarchists against the Wall, Community of An Nabi Saleh
IWPS arrived in An Nabi Saleh at 11:00, one hour before the demonstration was scheduled to start. At 11:30, two Israeli military jeeps were stationed at the main road and a group of four soldiers were observed walking on foot through the village.
Over 100 people gathered at An-Nabi Saleh for their weekly demonstration against the Israeli occupation. The community of An-Nabi Saleh was present with people from all ages alongside national, international activists and media. At 12:00 midday, following the afternoon prayer, there was a short speech that commenced the march through the town centre down the main road. At the main road three Israeli military jeeps were stationed along with a large white “skunk-truck” equipped with a long range hose and a bulldozer apparatus in front.
Chanting and singing, the crowd walked 300 meters past the gas station before pausing to set up defensive barricades with rocks. Two rock lines were set up before the army jeep and the skunk truck came forward removing the barricades, shooting several cans of tear gas and spraying the crowd with a sickeningly foul-smelling liquid. The crowd quickly dispersed, while the military vehicles continued to drive the length of the village, drenching each house and the street with the foul-smelling liquid and tear gas as a form of collective punishment – which is prohibited under international law.
Furthermore, such attacks on private homes are dangerous to the families inside. Numerous people were soaked; many reported feeling ill from the overwhelming smell. By 14:00 the jeeps and skunk-truck had parked at the surveillance-tower crossroads. The demonstration had dispersed into small groups of 4-10 people being met by similar numbers of Israeli soldiers on foot, regularly shooting tear gas.
Report written by: Alex
Report edited by: Meg and Sylvia
Date of report: April 19, 2013
HOUSE REPORT No. 30: Demonstration in Kafr Qaddum
19 April 2013
Every Friday the village of Kafr Qaddum holds protests against the occupation. Like many other villages, it has suffered numerous times from army invasions. One of the main reasons for the protest is the closure of the main road leading out of the village. The road closure makes it much more difficult, expensive and time-consuming for villagers to travel. The army has now closed the road for all Palestinians so the road is mainly for the settlers living in Qedumim settlement next to Kafr Qaddum.
Some 50 men and young boys gathered at 12:30 at the main road of the village. Three people from the IWPS house team and around 10 other internationals and media joined the pumped-up group of men. We marched to the end of the village where the road was closed but the army met up with us before we reached the last house of the village. The villagers had made several road blocks with stones so that the army vehicles could not enter the town. The army had brought a bulldozer that they used to push many of the roadblocks away.
The first 20 minutes before the start of the official demonstration were a bit chaotic. A few teargas containers were shot but the protesters seemed to be coming and going. The bulldozer retreated after a while for some reason and the army kept its distance. Most of the men returned to the village to pray and a few internationals joined them. After prayers, the majority of the protesters regrouped and marched back to the end of the village, peacefully chanting and shouting.
The army started shooting tear gas at the people; the gas seemed to be particularly strong that day. They had a machine so they could shoot many canisters at a time. People were badly affected by the tear gas and some had to be carried away from the action to recover. Others who breathed tear gas were reduced to sitting on the side of the road, sheltering in front of houses or walls, where it took them at least five minutes to recover. After an hour some of the boys succeeded in starting a fire with old tires so the black thick smoke went straight up to the soldiers on the hill.
When the demonstration had been going on for about an hour and a half, suddenly someone shouted that it was over. On our return to the village, one organizer told us that he believed the army wanted something that day – perhaps there were soldiers hiding in waiting for them, had they proceeded further out of the village.
Report written by: Silja
Edited by: Annette
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Doubts raised over circumstances of recent West Bank ‘terror attack’ and confessions of suspects
Please help us circulate this!
Sixteen teens were arrested in several raids in the West Bank village of Hares this past week in relation to a car accident on nearby Road 5, in which an Israeli child was critically injured. The incident has been widely reported in Israeli media as a “terror attack” caused by Palestinians throwing stones, although no eyewitness accounts have been reported that would confirm this. Five Palestinian teens have reportedly confessed to stone-throwing, and Netanyahu himself has informed the child’s parents of the arrests, but interviews conducted by IWPS with some of the 16 who have since been released indicate that the detainees may have “confessed” under severe duress.
At around 18:30 on Thursday 14 March an accident involving a car and a truck took place on Road 5 near the West Bank villages of Kifl Hares and Hares. The facts surrounding the incident are unclear, but it appears that a car driven by an Israeli settler crashed into the back of a truck, critically injuring the driver’s young daughter and wounding herself and two of her other children. IWPS interviewed local people who were at the scene in the moments after the crash and who reported that they did not see any youths in the vicinity.
Between 15 -21 March, 16 Palestinian youths between the ages of 13 to 17 were arrested in army raids in the nearby village of Hares, apparently in connection with the incident. According to interviews with detainees who have since been released and their families who were present at the time of the arrests, the youths were handcuffed and blindfolded and taken for interrogation. No formal reasons were given for these arrests and the youths have been kept, in some cases, for up to 6 days without charge. The teens were denied any contact with families or lawyers during their detention, in contravention of Israeli and international law.
One 16-year-old, since released, reported being kept in solitary confinement for two days in a small cell in which bright lights were kept on continuously. He described being interrogated three times during his six-day detention, during which soldiers shouted at him, threatened to hit him and to harm his mother and sister. Another youth was hospitalized after being beaten in custody.
Five youths remain in detention as of 27 March, 2013.
Written by: Sarah
Edited by: Maria
Date: 27th March 2013
Contact details: IWPS withholds this information as a courtesy to those involved.
However, we will do our best to furnish you with the information you may require, on request.
