Beit Ommar farmers continue to challenge closed military zones in order to reach their lands

Saturday, 16th May 2009

On the morning of the 16th, Palestinian farmers from Beit Ommar village with lands in Saffa close to the illegal Israeli settlement of Bet Ayn, defied a closed military zone order issued by the army in order to work their lands. At around 7am, about a dozen farmers and their families accompanied by a large group of Israeli and international solidarity activists, went to their fields in a valley just below Bet Ayn settlement. Farming in this valley is often dangerous, as the villagers face harassment from settlers and the Israeli military.

The farmers picked grape leaves and used tractors to work the fields for about three hours before settlers started to gather at the top of the hill screaming, “death to all arabs.” Within minutes, a jeep of Israeli soldiers and border police arrived and showed a paper declaring the lands a closed military zone. An Israeli solidarity activist countered the order by showing the commander a copy of a ruling from the Israeli high court that states that it is illegal for the army to repeatedly declare closed military zones and deny farmers access to their lands. The commander ignored the court paper and told the farmers and solidarity activists to leave the lands before returning to his jeep. However, the farmers continued to work their lands in the area for about another hour before finishing with their work without interference from the army.

Sunday, 17th May 2009

On the morning of the 17th, two elderly Palestinian farmers returned to the valley accompanied by four international solidarity activists. In an unusual occurrence, the farmers were able to pick grape leaves for several hours without any threats from settlers or the army even appearing to prevent them from working.

Monday, 18th May 2009

On the morning of the 18th, farmers from Saffa attempted to work their lands at the top of the hill overlooking the valley, closer to the illegal Israeli settlement of Gush Etzion. Shortly after the farmers arrived, three settlers appeared and began to walk towards the Palestinian villagers shouting threats and telling them to leave the area. Fearing for their safety, the farmers returned to the village. However, they returned to the same area in the evening at around 4pm. This time, the farmers went out in a large group with women and children and they were also accompanied by four international solidarity activists. After about an hour of working the lands, two Israeli soldiers came down the hill from the settlement and declared a closed military zone. Yet the soldiers lacked the military order that makes the closed area official. After farmers and internationals told the soldiers that the closed military zone was not legal, the soldiers retreated to the top of the hill and watched the farmers until they finished their work about an hour later.

Israeli forces continue to declare farmers’ land a closed military zone

On Saturday, May 9th, farmers from Beit Ommar with lands in Saffa, close to the illegal Israeli settlement of Beit Ayn, were prevented from working their fields after Israeli forces declared the area a closed military zone. At around 9am, about six farmers and their families went to their lands accompanied by a dozen Israeli and international solidarity activists. After they were only in the fields for about ten minutes, a jeep of Israeli border police arrived. The police used a bullhorn to declare the lands a closed military zone and all of the farmers and solidarity activists were ordered to leave.

The farmers initially ignored the order and continued to work their lands. Three more jeeps with soldiers and border police arrived, and the soldiers approached the farmers in the fields. Israeli forces displayed an order from a military court that designated the lands off limits to their Palestinian owners. The farmers then decided to leave their fields and return to the village. As the farmers were leaving, several dozen Israeli settlers, most of them children, gathered at the top of the hill and repeatedly chanted, “death to all Arabs.” One settler was heard shouting, “I will go get a basket for your head,” in an apparent threat against one of the farmers.

For the past month and a half, the Israeli military has repeatedly declared village farmland close to the settlement to be a closed military zone. In addition to harassment from Israeli forces, the Palestinian farmers also face settler violence on these lands. On the April 26th, two elderly Palestinian farmers from Beit Ommar were beaten by thirty masked settlers on the farmers’ agricultural fields close to the settlement. Abdullah Soleiby, aged 80, sustained two hair-line fractures and received ten stitches to the top of his head after three settlers held him down and repeatedly smashed his head with stones.

Al-Ma’asara village continues demonstrations despite increased army repression

On the 8th of May, 2009, residents of the southern West Bank village of Al-Ma’asara conducted their weekly demonstration against Israel’s annexation barrier, despite increased repression from Israeli forces. At last week’s demonstration, five nonviolent Palestinian organizers were arrested, and they continue to be held in an Israeli prison. This Friday, Israeli soldiers created at least three flying checkpoints on the roads leading to the village in an attempt to stop participants from reaching the demonstration. Soldiers turned back all Palestinian cars and only allowed settler vehicles to pass. Five military jeeps and two police cars were also stationed at the entrance to Al-Ma’asara, much further into the village than during past Friday demonstrations. Israeli and international solidarity activists who were able to reach the village by going around the checkpoints were showed papers that declared the entire village a closed military zone.

Despite this repression, at around 1:15pm nearly fifty Palestinian demonstrators marched from the village towards the army. The villagers stopped in front of the soldiers waving Palestinian flags and chanting against the occupation. Approximately twenty Israeli and international solidarity activists gathered on the other side of the soldiers, but were prevented from joining the main demonstration. Two Israeli solidarity activists were handcuffed and detained in military jeeps after sitting down and refusing to leave when ordered by the army.

After about 45 minutes the demonstration ended and the detained activists were released. Villagers continue to demand that the five arrested Palestinian organizers be released without charge or trial.

Israeli soldiers break Hebron resident's arm, enter two shops

4 May 2009

On Monday, the 4th of May, a Hebron resident's arm was broken by two soldiers in the old city. 49-year-old Mohammad Hashem Borqan was on his way to pray at the Ibrahimi Mosque at around 5:30am. As he went through the checkpoint at the entrance to the mosque, two soldiers started beating and kicking him. Mohammad fell to the ground, breaking his arm. After the beating the soldiers ordered him to leave the area, and he was forced to take himself to the hospital.

Additionally, at around 2:00pm that same day, seven Israeli soldiers entered at least two Palestinian handcraft shops in the old city of Hebron near the illegal Israeli settlement of Beit Romano. They harassed the shop-keepers, and told them that they were not checking all of the shops in the area, just the ones they felt were "dangerous." The soldiers brought tape measures with them, and measured the entrances to the doors and the lengths of the room. The soldiers also took pictures of the shops, as well as the items on sale. They also took down the details of the shop-keepers' ID cards and asked them such things as where they lived and how many children they had. The soldiers left both shops after around 45 minutes.

Reports from settler violence in the Nablus region

I took the following report for the ISM website about violent Israeli settlers in the Nablus region.

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12 Palestinians injured after settler rampage in Urif village

24 April 2009

At around 5pm on Friday, the 24th of April, nearly 30 masked settlers from the illegal Israeli settlement of Yizhar rampaged through the Palestinian village of Urif, southwest of the city of Nablus. The armed settlers first gathered at the boys’ high school in the village and proceeded to break doors and windows with metal sticks and farm tools. They then moved towards the center of the village and began to beat Palestinian residents. The settlers also shot at the water tanks on top of the roofs of residences, damaging several. Villagers soon gathered in the streets in an attempt to defend themselves. The settlers opened fire on the villagers with live ammunition.

At this time, the Israeli military arrived and also began shooting at residents with rubber bullets, tear gas and live ammunition. Israeli forces also prevented ambulances from entering Urif to treat the wounded, and villagers were forced to evacuate the wounded in private cars. Most of the wounded were taken to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus. At least 12 Palestinians were injured from weaponry used by settlers and the military. Among the injured include:

Maher Ghassan Safadi, shot in the shoulder with a live bullet

Noor Mustafa Safadi, shot in his leg with a live bullet

Ibrahim Rahdi Sabah, shot in his head with a rubber bullet

Issam Majah Safadi, shot in his hip with a live bullet

Mahmoud Abdel Rahim Safadi, shot in his foot with a live bullet

The father of one of the injured describes the routine violent behavior from Yizhar settlers:

I’m afraid from the continued settler attacks. The settlers from Yizhar are racist and very violent. The settlers also continue to uproot our olive trees and the army does nothing to stop them. The world must act to secure our lands from this violent harassment.

Attacks from settlers from Yizhar on surrounding Palestinian villages is increasing. On the 27th of April, 17-year-old Mohammad Farraj from Madama village was shot in the shoulder by a settler from Yizhar as he was working his lands.

Five Palestinian farmers and two internationals detained while trying to work lands near Israeli military camp

I was one of the internationals detained in the report I wrote below for the ISM website.

30 April 2009

On the 30th of April, five farmers from the village of Asira ash-Shamaliya and two international solidarity activists were detained while trying to farm their lands close to an Israeli military camp.  Asira ash-Shamaliya is a Palestinian village north of the city of Nablus.  An Israeli military camp was built more than ten years ago on the mountain between the village and Nablus.  Lands close to the military camp belong to several Palestinian farmers, who until recently have been too afraid to access their lands due to constant army harassment.

At around 9pm, the five farmers and solidarity activists arrived at the fields with a tractor, a donkey, and a horse.  As soon as the farmers appeared, an army jeep drove up along the military road which connects the camp to nearby Checkpoint 17.  Three soldiers got out and ordered the farmers and internationals to give them their IDs.  The farmers were told to tie up their animals, as they were going to held for a long time.  The farmers and internationals were then detained along the side of the road for more than half an hour, before being ordered into a jeep.

The seven detainees were driven several kilometers away to the illegal Israeli settlement of Shavei Shomron.  The jeep stopped at the entrance to the settlement and the internationals were told that they could leave, but that the Palestinians would be detained for several more hours alongside the road.  At around 12:00pm, the farmers were given back their IDs, and the internationals and Palestinians returned to the village in a public taxi.  Before leaving, the army told the farmers that it was forbidden for them to return to their lands without permission from the DCO.  However, the DCO frequently withholds permission for Palestinians to access their lands close to Israeli settlements or military camps, which are built on stolen Palestinian land.

Two Elderly Palestinian Farmers Brutally Attacked by Israeli Settlers in the Southern West Bank

On April 26th, 2009 at 1:15pm, Israeli settlers beat two elderly Palestinian farmers with stones and sticks while they were working their lands close to Bet Ayn settlement, located in the southern West Bank.  The attack occurred shortly after Israeli soldiers, having observed the two farmers, left the area.  They did not reappear even after the attack.

Both farmers are from the village of Beit Ommar, with lands in Saffa, close to the illegal Israeli settlement.  Abdullah Soleiby, aged 80, sustained two hair-line fractures and received ten stitches to the top of his head after three settlers held him down and repeatedly smashed his head with stones.  His brother, Hamad Soleiby, aged 72, was also beaten though he managed to put his brother on the back of a donkey and take him to the village, where he was briefly treated before being transferred to the hospital in Hebron.  

This is not the first time this family has been the victim of vicious attacks by settlers from Beit Ayn.  In 2006, Hamad’s head was also fractured by masked settlers while farming in the same area.

The day before on April 25th, Beit Ommar farmers accompanied by international solidarity activists, were able to work lands close to the settlement in the same area.  The army and settlers left the farmers alone, though two carloads of Israeli activists were prevented from entering the village earlier that day to take part in the action.

Nonviolent demonstrator killed in Bil'in by Israeli forces

For Immediate Release:

Friday, 17 April 2009: Demonstrator killed in Bil’in by Israeli forces.

A resident has been killed by Israeli forces during a demonstration. Basem Abu Rahme, 29 years of age, was shot in the stomach with a high-velocity tear gas projectile. He was evacuated to Ramallah hospital in critical condition, where he died of his injury. According to eyewitnesses, Basem was on a hill with several journalists to the side of other demonstrators. Soldiers opened fire from 40 meters, aiming directly with the tear-gas projectiles.

The tear-gas projectile, labeled “40 mm bullet, special/long range” in Hebrew has also critically injured American national, Tristan Anderson at a demonstration in Ni’lin on 13 March 2009 when he was shot in the head from 60 meters.

According Michael Sfard, the lawyer representing the village of Bil’in “The Israeli supreme court has ruled 3 times that the route of the Wall is illegal and needs to be moved. However, to date not a meter of the Wall has been rerouted. ”

Please Contact:
Mohammad Khatib (Arabic, Hebrew & English) 059- 891-4541
Abedallah Abu Rahma (Arabic & English) 059-910-7069
Michael Sfard (Hebrew & English) 054-471-3930 or 03-620-6947

For general information:
ISM Media office: 02-297-1824Sasha Solanas (Russian & English) 054-903-2981

Basem Abu Rahme is the 18th individual to be killed by Israeli forces during a demonstration against the Wall.

List of fatalities:

February 26th, 2004:Muhammad Fadel Hashem Rian, age 25 and Zakaria Mahmoud 'Eid Salem, age 28Shot dead during a demonstration against the wall in Biddu.

February 26th, 2004:Abdal Rahman Abu 'Eid, age 17 Died of a heart attack after teargas projectiles were shot into his home during a demonstration against the wall in Biddu.

February 26th, 2004:Muhammad Da'ud Saleh Badwan, age 21Shot during a demonstration against the wall in Biddu. Muhammad died of his wounds on March 3rd 2004.

April 16th, 2004:Hussein Mahmoud 'Awad 'Alian, age 17 Shot dead during a demonstration against the wall in Betunya.

April 18th, 2004:Diaa' A-Din 'Abd al-Karim Ibrahim Abu 'Eid, age 23 Shot dead during a demonstration against the wall in Biddu.

April 18th, 2004:Islam Hashem Rizik Zhahran, age 14 Shot during a demonstration against the wall in Deir Abu Mash'al. Islam died of his wounds April 28th.

February 15th, 2005:'Alaa' Muhammad 'Abd a-Rahman Khalil, age 14 shot dead while throwing stones at an Israeli vehicle driven by private security guards near the wall in Betunya.

May 4th, 2005:Jamal Jaber Ibrahim 'Asi, age 15 and U'dai Mufid Mahmoud 'Asi, age 14 Shot dead during a demonstration against the wall in Beit Liqya.

February 2nd, 2007:Taha Muhammad Subhi al-Quljawi, age 16 Shot dead when he and two friends tried to cut the razor wire portion of the wall in the Qalandiya Refugee Camp. He was wounded in the thigh and died from loss of blood after remaining a long time in the field without being treated.

March 28th, 2007:Muhammad Elias Mahmoud 'Aweideh, age 15 Shot dead during a demonstration against the wall in Um a-Sharayet - Samiramis.

March 2nd, 2008:Mahmoud Muhammad Ahmad Masalmeh, age 15 Shot when trying to cut the razor wire portion of the wall in Beit Awwa.July 29th, 2008:Ahmed Husan Youssef Mousa, age 10Killed while he and several friends tried to remove coils of razor wire from land belonging to the village.

July 30th, 2008:Youssef Ahmed Younes Amirah, age 17 Shot in the head with rubber coated bullets during a demonstration against the wall in Ni'lin. Youssef died of his wounds August 4th 2008.

December 28th, 2008:Arafat Khawaja, age 22 Shot in the back with live ammunition in Ni’lin during a demonstration against Israel's assault on Gaza.

December 28th, 2008:Mohammad Khawaja, age 20: Shot in the head with live ammunition during a demonstration in Ni’lin against Israel's assault on Gaza. Mohammad died in the hospital on December 31st 2009.

Please support my friend Yousef!

Yousef is a good friend of mine, please support him if you are able.

Palestinian Peace with Justice Activist Imprisoned! Urgent Help Needed!

Yousef Abu Maria has been a tireless organizer with the Palestine Solidarity Project, an organization dedicated to nonviolence and solidarity as a means of confronting the Israeli Occupation. He is well known and respected in his hometown of Beit Ommar, as well as by other Israeli and international anti-occupation groups.

Yousef has paid a high price for his activism. In the last 3 years alone he has been arrested 4 times, all for his work as a social justice and anti-occupation activist. He has been constantly harassed and his family, including two small children, terrorized by the Israeli military, who have taken him from his home in the middle of the night. Once, he was “accused” of “hosting internationals”, another time he was held for a month in administrative detention before being released on an appeal. He has not been charged or tried in any of these cases, and has come out of prison each time with new ambition and commitment to the liberation his people.

Now Yousef needs YOUR help

Three weeks ago Yousef was once again taken from his home in the middle of the night. He was handcuffed and a hood was put over his head as he was transferred to a jail in a nearby settlement. He was prevented from having any interaction with other prisoners and has not been allowed contact with his family. A meeting with his lawyer was prohibited and he was moved to an “interrogation facility” which is infamous as a torture center used by the Israeli security services. After nearly a week in prison, he was brought before a judge who allowed a continuation of his “interrogation” for 13 days. He has not been charged with anything.
Yousef has a brilliant team of dedicated lawyers working diligently on his case and are our best chance at bringing Yousef home. But to do it, we need YOUR HELP. Yousef is the third member of the PSP coordinating committee to be imprisoned this year and our legal costs are astronomical. In order to continue to provide Yousef with the best possible legal defense, we are in need of funds.

Please Dig Deep
We are all feeling a financial pinch during these difficult times. It is now, more than ever, that we need the donations, small and large, from all of our supporters. No donation is too small. If everyone who receives this message finds a way to donate $25, $35, or $50, we will meet our needs and continue to show our support for Yousef and all the people who are risking their freedom in their fight for rights, dignity, and a free Palestine.

To Make A Donation
Via Paypal on our website: http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/donate
Or via check to our U.S. Address made out to: PSP-NY
And mailed to: PSP-NY
P.O. Box 24281Santa Fe, NM 87502

Israeli forces impose collective punishment on Saffa village following attack on settler youth

April 2, 2009, Israeli forces have imposed collective punishment on the village of Saffa, following an axe attack in a nearby settlement that left one Israeli child dead and another injured. At around 1:30pm, dozens of soldiers entered the village, declaring a 24-hour curfew and preventing residents from leaving their homes. Israeli authorities have said that the military operation was in response to the attack on the settler children, which occurred in the settlement of Bet Ayn, located adjacent to Saffa. However, the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits acts of collective punishment against civilian populations.



After the curfew was declared in Saffa, Israeli forces began conducting several house-to-house searches. Hundreds of men, and boys over the age of 15, were forced into the village mosque where they were questioned by Israeli intelligence officers and had their ID cards checked. At this time, at least three villagers were placed under formal arrest and taken away in army jeeps. Israeli jeeps periodically drove through Saffa and the nearby village of Beit Omar, firing tear gas and rubber bullets. Dozens of Palestinian youth resisted this army incursion, at times responding to the invasion by throwing stones at the jeeps.

The army also took up position in three village residences, in two cases forcing their inhabitants to leave the house altogether without their possessions. Israeli flags were planted on the roofs of these houses. Soldiers occupying the houses told residents that they were positioning themselves in the village to protect Saffa from settler reprisals. Yet the curfew, road closures, arrests, house occupations, and military presence are clearly meant to punish the entire village for what happened to the two settler boys.


The Israeli army also used military bulldozers to close the roads leading into Saffa in at least three places. The villages of Beit Omar and Surif also experienced closures on their main roads in the form of earthmounds. The military gate at the entrance to Beit Omar remained closed for more than 24 hours. The closing of roads in these three villages affects around 30,000 residents. Additionally, several hours after the attack on the settlement, a checkpoint was installed on the main road between Bethlehem and Hebron, just in front of the village of Halhul. Traffic quickly backed up as hundreds of cars had to undergo security checks.



On the following day of April 3rd, a large military presence still remained in Saffa, and most roads in the area continue to be closed. At around 9am, villagers removed an army earthmound between Beit Omar and Saffa. The army returned to build the roadblock again, only to clear the road a few hours later and build a new roadblock on another street. All three houses continued to be occupied by soldiers, though the residents who have been forced to leave their homes have been allowed to retrieve some of their personal belongings.

Random pictures from Palestine

People have asked me to post more pictures I have taken about what is going on here. So here are some random pictures from the last three months.



Planting trees with farmers from Huwarra village. This farmers fields are located very near the illegal Israeli settlement of Itamar. Settlers often harass him and his family. He will only go to certain parts of his lands with an international presence.

My friend Yousef from Beit Omar. Yousef was arrested two nights ago at 1:30am by the Israeli army. He is being held without charge in an interogation center.


A demolished house in Silwan, occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli authorities destroyed this house a few months ago, displacing a large family. More than 100 houses in Silwan also face demolition, putting 1,052 people at risk of being homeless.


A heavily armed Israeli soldier at a demonstration against the Apartheid Wall in Jayyous village.


Palestinian men holding a prayer demonstration outside of Damascus Gate, occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli authorities closed off Al Aqsa mosque and prevented men from below the age of 50 to pray insideJerusalem's old city.


A mural against the occupation outside of a school in Jayyous village.


Children in Ramallah hold a demonstration for Gaza. They are dressed as concentration camp prisoners in order to emphasize how Palestine is one big prison.

Funeral for Mohammad Khawaje, a Palestinian youth from the village of Ni'lin. Mohammad was killed during a nonviolent demonstration after being shot by Israeli forces. Three other youth have been killed at demonstrations in Ni'lin since August, including a ten-year-old boy.


Youth hold a sign during a demonstration in solidarity with Gaza in Nablus. Israel has indeed created a system of apartheid for Palestinians living in the West Bank, Gaza, and the 1948 Palestinian territories.

My friend Mohammad from Bi'lin village and his children riding a donkey.


My friend Nasser from Sheikh Jarrah, occupied East Jerusalem. Nasser has been ordered to leave his home. Israeli authorities plan on turning his house over to settlers.

Palestinian youth set fire to tires at a demonstration against the Apartheid wall in Bi'lin. Every Friday for the past four years, Bi'lin residents have held demonstrations against the wall. Israeli soldiers often fire tear gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition at the demonstrators. Hundreds of people have been injured.

Some children in Al-Ayn refugee camp near Nablus.

Sheikh Jarrah residents organize in the face of mass house evictions

I just wrote this article about the last few weeks I've spent in occupied East Jerusalem supporting communities struggling against house eviction and demolition.

Sheikh Jarrah residents organize in the face of mass house evictions

By Tom Patterson

March 26th, 2009

“We are like the roots of a tree. The Israelis may cut us in places, but we will never die. We will not be transplanted from Jerusalem. I will not leave this house,” Maher Hanun tells a crowded room of Palestinian community members supported by Israeli and international solidarity activists. Maher is one of 51 residents of Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem living in two housing units that are facing imminent eviction by Israeli authorities.
The mood is tense as more than twenty-five people pack into a small room in Maher’s house to plan how to fight the house evictions. Palestinian residents, organized under the Sheikh Jarrah Committee, have invited solidarity activists to come and support their struggle. Internationals from more than ten countries and Israelis sit in chairs and on the floor as Maher tells them his story. After his speech, they divide themselves into groups to cover the two threatened housing units. Both the families and the activists gathered in support are determined to stay inside the houses as long as possible when the police arrive to carry out the evictions.

The people living in these housing units, belonging to the Al-Ghawe and Hanun families, are due to be forcibly removed from their homes this week, as the papers from the Israeli court they were served with are valid between the 15th and 22nd of March. The justification the courts have used for these evictions is that the families do not legally own the land. Yet the houses were built under a joint construction project by UNWRA and the Jordanian government in 1956, eleven years before Israel occupied East Jerusalem. The houses were given to the families, both made refugees in 1948 after Palestinians living in what became the state of Israel were expelled and dispossessed in what has come to be called the Nakba, or ‘catastrophe’.

Now these families are threatened with a second Nakba. Israeli settlers that have moved into Sheikh Jarrah have falsified documents claiming ownership of the houses. The Hanun and Ghawe families have presented legitimate documents of their own and an Israeli judge has not yet ruled on the legality of these papers. Yet the eviction orders are still proceeding, even though no official decision has been reached as to whom the Israeli courts recognize as the true owners.


The experience of eviction and dispossession is nothing new for residents of Shiekh Jarrah. Both the Hanun and Ghawe families were forced from their homes in 2002, after which they lived in tents for four months within sight of their former homes. In November 2008, the al-Kurd family was evicted from their home in the middle of the night despite widespread public support and diplomatic pressure from American and EU diplomats on the Israelis to halt their eviction order. The al-Kurd family has erected a protest tent in the middle of Sheikh Jarrah from where they continue to demand the right to return to their homes. The Israeli police have destroyed the tent five times on the grounds that it is “an illegal structure” even though it is built on private Palestinian property.



Now, with the threat of removal again hanging over their head, the community members of Sheikh Jarrah are organizing. “Stop ethnic cleansing,” is their main message to the Israeli Authorities and the broader international community. These words can be seen on posters hung in the windows of neighborhood shops, on large banners over the entrances to the Ghawe and Hanun residences, as well as the T-shirts that organizers have distributed in the community.

This past week has seen a buzz of activity in the neighborhood. The Sheikh Jarrah Committee, supported by the Coalition for Jerusalem, the International Solidarity Movement, and other human rights organizations, have utilized a myriad of tactics to fight the eviction orders. Throughout the week, dignitaries from foreign nations, journalists, consulors representing numerous European countries, and even Knesset members, have all visited the homes and the protest tent to express their support for the residents of Sheikh Jarrah. The committee has held press conferences, demonstrations outside of court hearings, and drafted statements condemning the orders.

The Committee view their struggle against eviction as part of a larger struggle against Palestinian dispossession from East Jerusalem. The nearby neighborhoods of Silwan, Beit Hanina, and Shu’fat refugee camps are also facing large-scale house demolitions and evictions from Israeli authorities. In the al-Bustaan neighborhood of Silwan, 88 houses are slated for demolition alone. Al-bustaan residents have erected a protest tent similar to the one in Sheikh Jarrah, and this model of resistance seems to be spreading.



For now, the families and supporting activists wait for the police to come each night. They take shifts to make sure someone is up in each house to alarm the community when the Israeli Authorities arrive. Some of the family members have removed all of their furniture in anticipation of the coming raids, but they continue to sleep on mats in the floor. The message is clear: they will not go quietly in the face of this injustice.

American ISM activist critically injured in Ni'lin demonstration

Updated Press Release follows

For Immediate Release

13th Friday 2009, Ni’lin Village: An American citizen has been critically injured in the village of Ni’lin after Israeli forces shot him in the head with a tear-gas canister.

Tristan Anderson from California USA, 37 years old, has been taken to Israeli hospital Tel Hashomer, near Tel Aviv. Anderson is unconscious and has been bleeding heavily from the nose and mouth. He sustained a large hole in his forehead where he was struck by the canister. He is currently being operated on.

"Tristan was shot by the new tear-gas canisters that can be shot up to 500m. I ran over as I saw someone had been shot, while the Israeli forces continued to fire tear-gas at us. When an ambulance came, the Israeli soldiers refused to allow the ambulance through the checkpoint just outside the village. After 5 minutes of arguing with the soldiers, the ambulance passed."
– Teah Lunqvist (Sweden) - International Solidarity Movement

The Israeli army began using to use a high velocity tear gas canister in December 2008. The black canister, labeled in Hebrew as “40mm bullet special/long range,” can shoot over 400 meters. The gas canister does not make a noise when fired or emit a smoke tail. A combination of the canister’s high velocity and silence is extremely dangerous and has caused numerous injuries, including a Palestinian male whose leg was broken in January 2009.

Please Contact:
Adam Taylor (English), ISM Media Office +972 8503948
Sasha Solanas (English), ISM Media Office - +972 549032981
Woody Berch (English), at Tel Hashomer hospital +972 548053082

Tristan Anderson was shot as Israeli forces attacked a demonstration against the construction of the annexation wall through the village of Ni’lin’s land. Another resident from Ni’lin was shot in the leg with live ammunition.

Four Ni’lin residents have been killed during demonstrations against the confiscation of their land.

Ahmed Mousa (10) was shot in the forehead with live ammunition on 29th July 2008. The following day, Yousef Amira (17) was shot twice with rubber-coated steel bullets, leaving him brain dead. He died a week later on 4 August 2008. Arafat Rateb Khawaje (22), was the third Ni’lin resident to be killed by Israeli forces. He was shot in the back with live ammunition on 28 December 2008. That same day, Mohammed Khawaje (20), was shot in the head with live ammunition, leaving him brain dead. He died three days in a Ramallah hospital.

Residents in the village of Ni’lin have been demonstrating against the construction of the Apartheid Wall, deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice in 2004. Ni’lin will lose approximately 2500 dunums of agricultural land when the construction of the Wall is completed. Ni’lin was 57,000 dunums in 1948, reduced to 33,000 dunums in 1967, currently is 10,000 dunums and will be 7,500 dunums after the construction of the Wall.

Updates:
Orly Levi, a spokeswoman at the Tel Hashomer hospital, tells Ha’aretz:

"He’s in critical condition, anesthetized and on a ventilator and undergoing imaging tests,” She described Anderson’s condition as life-threatening."

Israeli activist Jonathan Pollack told Ynet:

"… the firing incident took place inside the village and not next to the fence. There were clashes in the earlier hours, but he wasn’t part of them. He didn’t throw stones and wasn’t standing next to the stone throwers.

There was really no reason to fire at them. The Dutch girl standing next to him was not hurt. It only injured him, like a bullet."

The occupation claims another victim

I took the pictures and report below for the International Solidarity Movement. I sat with the martyr's (all of the fallen from the occupation are referred to as martyrs here) family. They are incredibly poor, with 9 family members sleeping in one room. Jamal's father is currently in an Israeli Prison for illegally working in Israel, but he could not find any work in the West Bank and has to provide for his family. Jamal's father found out about his sons death in prison, and he was not allowed to attend his funeral.



Palestinian Youth Killed by Israeli Military Explosive

26 February 2009

On February 26th, one youth was killed and two seriously injured when a landmine, leftover from Israeli military training in the area, exploded near the town of Tubas in the northern West Bank.

The landmine exploded around 3pm, as the three boys were walking home from school in the fields east of Tubas. Fifteen-year-old Jamal Abdel Nasser Al-Fuqaha was killed in the blast, and Mohammed Khalil Al-Fuqaha and his cousin Munir Khalil Al-Fuqaha, both seventeen, were seriously injured and taken to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus. Mohammed was critically injured in his stomach and Munir sustained moderate wounds in his abdomen and hand.

The fields east of Tubas are often used by the Israeli military for training exercises. According to the Palestine News Network, dozens of Palestinians have been injured from landmines left behind by the army in the Tubas region.

Youth shot in Beit Omar following week of army invasions

On the evening of March 4th, Israeli Forces entered the village of Beit Ommar in the southern West Bank, firing live ammunition and critically injuring 15 year-old Mehdi Said Abu Ayyash. At around 9:30pm, soldiers shot Mehdi in the head with live ammunition. He was subsequently taken to a hospital in Hebron, where he remains in a coma attached to a ventilator, with pieces of the bullet still lodged in his head. That same evening, Israeli Forces also arrested two 17 year-old residents of Beit Ommar; Ahmed Mahmoud Abdel Aziz Awad, and Mountasir Ibrahim Bregeith.

This recent military raid follows more than a week of almost nightly invasions. Israeli soldiers routinely enter the village at around 7pm, firing live ammunition, rubber bullets, tear gas and flares. Usually two jeeps of soldiers drive through the streets into the center of town, forcing residents of Beit Ommar to stay inside their homes. The soldiers often get out of the jeeps to fire at groups of youth who clash with the invading military. Israeli Forces have been seen taunting the youth, deliberately trying to provoke confrontations. On several occasions, the army has also entered several homes, checking all of the rooms and the identity cards of male family members. The army usually withdraws from the village by 10pm, though they have also maintained a presence on the streets until the early hours of the morning.

Additionally, Israeli Forces have also been occupying the Mesayef family home for the past several nights. The house is situated near the entrance to Beit Ommar along Route 60, the main road between the cities Bethlehem and Hebron. Between six and ten soldiers have entered the residence around 8pm on at least five nights last week alone. The soldiers often stay until midnight, disrupting family members who must work and go to school the next day. The family, which includes small children, are all forced into one room while the soldiers occupied the others. Palestinian, Israeli, and International activists, including volunteers with the Palestine Solidarity Project, have entered the house to sit in solidarity with the family. On the night of March 2rd, an Israeli activist was badly beaten by the soldiers after he climbed through a window to get inside the house. The following night, two International activists, one Danish and one American, were arrested for being inside the house, which was declared a “military closed zone.” The Internationals were taken to Qiryat Arba settlement where they were questioned and released after signing conditions that they would not be in the southern West Bank for ten days. The Israeli online news agency YNET has published an article on the occupations of the Mesayef family residence, which can be viewed below:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3681433,00.html

Please support Gaza

My good friend Eva Bartlett, who has been living and working in the Gaza Strip for the last few months, has just begun collecting money for emergency cases in Gaza. Please support this initiative!
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http://ingaza.wordpress.com/2009/03/03/please-consider-helping/

In moving around Gaza, during and post War on Gaza, I’ve met numerous cases who could benefit directly from financial aid. I’m aware that there are supporters of justice for Palestinians and of human rights in general who are asking where to send money.

Should any of you want to send money to any of the cases I’ve blogged about, I can promise that I won’t keep a penny/Shekel, but will pass all of it on to the intended recipient as requested. I’ve already used some of my own money for cases, but its far inadequate.

Some examples where a little money can make a large difference (depending, of course, on one’s concept of a ‘little money’):

-a new delivery van for Amer al Helo, the father whose baby girl and own father were shot dead in front of him. Formerly, he supported his family via his work delivering bread. The van was bombed, burned, during Israel’s assault on Gaza. His former van cost $15,000. I’m asking around to see how much a replacement van would cost, if available.

-rent for a small apartment for the Safi family, whose father is paralysed (of natural causes, a stroke) and whose home was destroyed (unnatural causes, the F-16ing of a 6 story house next door, which collapsed on and destroyed their own house). They’ve been crowding into a relative’s 2 room house but are on the verge of being expelled as the relative doesn’t have room for his own family.

-money for medecine for Maher Habashi: he needs 130 Shekels worth (roughly US $ 31, Cdn $39) of tablets every 10 days and tube of cream every other day at 60 Shekels (US $14.50, Cdn $18). Per month, then, he’s spending nearly 1300 Shekels (~US$310, Cdn$400) per month on medicine alone, not to mention the lost-income to his family’s regular daily needs.

-financial aid to the families of Mohammad al-Buraim and Anwar al-Buraim, farmers in the Khan Younis region who come from very poor families. Anwar, killed on 27 January by Israeli soldiers while he was farming, was the sole breadwinner of his family. Anwar’s cousin Mohammed, shot on 17 February by Israeli soldiers while farming in the same area as Anwar, is one of many children from a very poor family.

-financial aid to the family of Rafiq abu Reala, a fisherman shot in the back on 14 February by Israeli naval soldiers who attacked the small fishing craft just two nautical miles off Gaza’s coast. The exploding ‘dumdum’ bullets which broke into numerous tiny pieces lacerated his spine and punctured one lung. Rafiq’s family, including his pregnant new bride, were dependent on the income he added to the extended family. The fishing industry has been greatly destroyed by the Israeli-imposed siege, by the War on Gaza which damaged numerous fishing vessels, and most of all by the continual presence of Israeli gunboats patrolling Gaza’s waters and shooting on unarmed fishermen. This limits their ability to fish in deep waters, or at all, and means a much-diminished income.

Another means of directly impacting families if you are only able to give a limited amount for a limited time is to donate to me purchasing blankets to distribute to some of the areas I’ve been (that said, there are 1000s of families suffering from the cold, without adequate blankets and shelter. But one family at a time is better than nothing). I’m trying to find the average price for the remaining blankets in Gaza but based on what I’ve see thus far they will be around 150 Shekels (roughly just under $40). I will update this if a better price comes along.

I also welcome ideas from outside: if you have suggestions on how your donations should be spent, please let me know, I’ll see if it is possible to follow through on (depending largely on the availability of materials here).

I have a colleague here who is doing the same type of documentation and work as I. She also has put a call-out for funding for emergency cases [please note that her original call-out was in order to be able to stay on in Gaza to continue her work but now is for medical and poor cases] and has put her bank account details up for donations. For the sake of convenience, the easiest way would be either to deposit into her account with the amount, intended recipient (and any other details regarding the distribution of funds –eg. would like photo, to buy XXX) noted in an email to me.

Or

Money could be sent via Western Union which I can access [with an email to me to tell me the expected amount and name of sender and access number].

The McIlveen Fund (a multipurpose fundraising account with another signatory besides me)
The Co-op Bank (UK)
Account number 65244050
Sort Code 08 92 99

For international transfers, the following is needed:

International Bank Account Number: GB92CPBK

and the Swift/BIC code: CPBKGB22

Bank is: The Co-Operative Bank,
Address — 1 Balloon Street, MANCHESTER. M60 4EP. ENGLAND

If they ask for a reference, please give your name unless you prefer not to, so we can check anything later if needed.

Arrested yesterday

So yesterday me and another ISMer were arrested in Beit Ommar after we entered a house occupied by soldiers to sit with the family inside. After about 40 minutes, the soldiers forced us to leave the house and called the Israeli police. One soldier stuck his hand in my pocket and stole 100 shekels (about $25). When the police arrived, me and a Danish volunteer were forced into a jeep and driven to the police station at the illegal Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba in Hebron. For several hours, we were interrogated by both the police and the Shabak (Israeli intelligience agents). At around 2am, we signed conditions that we would not be in the southern West Bank for ten days, or we would face deportation. After this, we were driven in a police car to Jerusalem and we were not allowed to return to Beit Ommar to get our things. My money was also never returned to me.

Below is the link to the Maan Palestinian news agency's article about our detention:
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36220

Below is the call-out that went out over PSP updates half an hour after we were detained.

This evening, March 3, 2009, two internationals working with the Palestine Solidarity Project and the International Solidarity Movement were arrested by Israeli forces during a home occupation in Beit Ommar. For the last five days the Israeli military has been invading and occupying a home, forcing family members to confine themselves to one room in the house for hours at a time. When six international solidarity activists working with PSP and ISM approached the soldiers and demanded to know the purpose of their presence, they were verbally abused and beaten. However, at least two of the internationals managed to enter the home to check on the welfare of the residents.

At one point during the confrontation soldiers forcibly removed the internationals. Dozens of soldiers as well as border police arrived on the scene as "reinforcements"and subsequently arrested two internationals that were pointed out by the other soldiers as having had worked in Beit Ommar for the previous week. They were removed to the settlement of Kiryat Arba for confinement and interrogation. Updates will be issued as they become available, giving both the status of the activists in confinement as well as opportunities to provide support.

Please consider donating to PSP's legal fund atwww.palestinesolidarityproject.org/donate.

A Day in the Life: An Account of a Palestinian Teen Arrested by Israeli Forces

A few days ago I interviewed 16-year-old Ahmed Awad about his experiences being arrested by the Israeli military and held in two separate prisons for a week.

The report I typed up from the interview can also be viewed here:

http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2009/03/02/a-day-in-the-life-an-account-of-a-palestinian-teen-arrested-by-israeli-forces/

On February 17th, Israeli soldiers arrested 16-year-old Ahmed Awad from the village of Beit Ommar, in the Hebron district of the southern West Bank. Ahmed was held for a week in Gush Etzion and Ofer prisons, where he was beaten, interrogated, and was put in a cage outside in the rain. The following is his account of his treatment at the hands of Israeli Forces.

At 3:00am on the morning of February 17th, 15 soldiers invaded the village of Beit Ommar and entered the residence of Ahmed Awad. Ahmed is a vocational student who studies window welding. He also suffers from Mediterranean Fever, a condition that thins his bones and leaves him chronically weak. The soldiers forced Ahmed, his two brothers, and his father to take off their shirts and lower their pants as they searched the house. Ahmed was then told that he was under arrest for allegedly throwing stones at Israeli Troops several days before.

Ahmed was blindfolded and handcuffed with plastic ties. The soldiers made him stand outside of his residence for more than an hour in the pouring rain before taking him to the military tower at the entrance of the village. Ahmed was once again made to stand in the rain for half an hour before he was forced into a jeep and taken to Husan village. At Husan, Israeli Forces had arrested around 15 youth. Ahmed was taken outside the jeep, where soldiers began to beat him for five minutes. He was punched in the eye, kicked, and slapped in the face.

At approximately 10am, Ahmed and the other youth from Husan arrived at Gush Etzion prison. Ahmed was separated from the other boys and placed in a one square meter cage outside for twelve hours in the rain. During this time, Ahmed kept telling the soldiers that he had a medical condition requiring doctor’s attention but he was ignored.

Ahmed was transferred to Ofer Prison in the Ramallah district the next day. Upon his arrival, he was allowed to see a doctor, who gave him his usual medication. Ahmed was placed in section 6 in the prison, where prisoners live in tents even though the weather in the winter months is very wet and cold.

After three days, Israeli Forces began interrogating Ahmed. They accused him of throwing Molotov cocktails and stones, charges that Ahmed denied. The intelligence agents interrogating Ahmed were not able to produce any pictures or evidence that supported these claims, though they did show him a picture where he was simply standing in the street during a demonstration. The agents then attempted to make Ahmed sign a paper stating he threw stones. When he refused, one agent grabbed his wrist and tried to physically force him to sign his name, something that Ahmed successfully resisted. The agents then asked Ahmed to become a collaborator and give the army information about the other youth in the village. They promised him a month-long vacation in Israel, money, and a girlfriend if he cooperated. When Ahmed continued to refuse, the interrogation ended after an hour and a half.

Ahmed was returned to Section 6 in Ofer. Israeli Forces did not try to interrogate him again. At 7pm on February 14th, Ahmed was released from prison without conditions or charges.

Jaffa Women's Cooperative

I work with the Jaffa Palestinian women's embroidery co-operative in the city of Hebron in the southern West Bank. The co-op is the only women-owned business in the entire old city. It consists of 120 women in seven villages in the Hebron area, who make embroidered crafts by hand and set their own prices. Many of the women are the sole providers for their families as their husbands have been killed or arrested by the Israeli Army. I help the women sell their crafts in the United States and I also take their packages to Jerusalem so they can be shipped overseas (most Palestinians are not allowed to travel to Jerusalem and there is little or no accessible postal service in the West Bank.)



This project is very important, not only because it empowers Palestinian women, but because the old city of Hebron is under direct Israeli military control. Therefore helping these women survive economically also helps them stay to fight the occupation. Four hundred illegal Israeli settlers have taken over large chunks of the old city. Right above the shop is the Israeli settlement of Beit Haddassah. Several years ago, the Israeli military forcibly welded shut the doors to most shops in the area in an attempt to force Palestinians out of the area to leave room for settler expansion. However, over the last two years, shop-keepers, including the women's co-op, have been returning to the area and reopening their shops in defiance of the Israeli military and settlers.




Life in the old city is not easy. Israeli settlers often throw garbage down on Palestinians shopping below. Doors of Palestinian houses have been spray painted with the Stars of David in a clear attempt to intimate and displace Hebron residents. Israeli soldiers patrol the streets, often stopping to harass the women in the shop and detain young men in the area. The home next to the women's co-operative had its top room burned to a crisp three months ago when Israeli settlers threw a molotov through the window. Yet these women are staying put, and they are continuing to teach themselves and their community how to resist occupation through economic self-sufficiency




Support the women of Palestine!

To find out more about this co-operative, or to buy embroidery from the women, visit http://palestineembroidery.wordpress.com/

Military invasions in the Southern West Bank

Entrance to the village of Beit Ummar, which is periodically closed off by the army.

I've been working in the south for the past week, trying to document massive settlement expansion and military violence. Below is a report I've compiled that is being used by the Palestine Solidarity Project.


Israeli Military Invasions Intensify in Southern West Bank

In the early hours on February 24th, Israeli Forces invaded the villages of Sa’ir and Idhna, in the Hebron district of the southern West Bank, and arrested four men. More than ten jeeps entered Idhna at approximately 12:30am. Around 40 soldiers surrounded the house of Hatem Mahmoud Al-Kharuf, and ordered all the family members outside. They then proceeded to search the house, turning everything upside down and smashing a bedroom wardrobe. A shared Taxi (service) owned by Hatem’s brother that was parked outside was also ransacked, with the soldiers tearing off large pieces of the interior and inexplicably breaking open the airbags. The taxi was just recently bought, and the total cost of the damages exceeds $2,800 USD.

Soldiers then arrested Hatem Al-Kharuf, a 37-year-old retired UN schoolteacher. Hatem was handcuffed, blindfolded, and taken away in an army jeep. He is currently being held in Gush Etzion on unknown charges. Israeli Forces withdrew from Idhna at 3:00am.

Around 20 jeeps of soldiers also invaded Sa’ir village at 6:00am. The army fired live ammunition in the streets and ransacked at least three houses. Three residents of Sa’ir were arrested, including Mohammad Mahmoud Jaradet, a 28-year-old construction worker. The soldiers told Mohammad that they were looking for his brother. When they could not find him, they arbitrarily arrested Mohammad in his place.

Additionally, for the past week Israeli forces have been entering Beit Ommar in the northern Hebron District daily, firing indiscriminately in the streets for hours at a time. One young man was shot one week ago in the leg with live ammunition. He was taken to hospital in Ramallah where he remains because of serious complications.