30 nov 2019
Radical Jewish settlers on Saturday defiled Bab al-Rahma cemetery on the eastern side of al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied Jerusalem.
Local sources said that the settlers broke into the cemetery while a group of Palestinian volunteers were cleaning the site.
They added that on Friday scores of Israeli settlers stormed the site and performed Talmudic rituals and provocative dances there.
According to local activists, Israeli excavations under al-Aqsa Mosque have led to the collapse of the southern part of the cemetery, warning that the cemetery has been intensively targeted by settler schemes since 2017.
Local sources said that the settlers broke into the cemetery while a group of Palestinian volunteers were cleaning the site.
They added that on Friday scores of Israeli settlers stormed the site and performed Talmudic rituals and provocative dances there.
According to local activists, Israeli excavations under al-Aqsa Mosque have led to the collapse of the southern part of the cemetery, warning that the cemetery has been intensively targeted by settler schemes since 2017.
29 nov 2019
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1/27/19 | International Solidarity Movement | Hebron
The Jewish holiday of Shabbat Chayei Sarah (Sarah’s Day) took place in Al Khalil (also known as Hebron), over the weekend of 22-23 November. Over the two days, around 50,000 Israeli settlers flocked to the city to celebrate the festival in the place that Zionists believe is their religious right (despite the fact that it is historically Palestinian and is clearly within the demarcation of Palestinian Territories). For weeks, the area was being adapted and prepared to accommodate the thousands of visitors. Israeli settlers from nearby illegal settlement Kiryat Arba were to be joined by other observant Jews from across Israel, as well as from countries abroad such as France, the UK, and the USA. The mood was set by blatant Zionist propaganda adorning the streets, such as a banner proclaiming “Palestine never existed – and never will”. Whole areas of the Old City district and surrounding areas were taken over |
by gazebos, tents, and caravans, for the weekend. Exclusive and expensive VIP tickets to celebrate Sarah’s Day were available for hundreds of US dollars, enabling attendees to meet and dine with religious leaders, alongside Knesset members and IDF commanders.
By Friday afternoon, thousands of celebrants had arrived in the city and the already extensive Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) presence (normally 4000 IOF soldiers guard the 400 Israeli settlers) was even greater than usual. Enhanced security measures were in place and major roads were blocked off, obstructing Palestinian movement around the city, and forcing Arab shops to close for business in an already suffocated economic environment (due to businesses and areas being closed by military order, and commerce/tourism heavily suppressed by restrictions on movement through checkpoints).
Many of the visiting settlers were visibly armed, with handguns or automatic weapons, in stark contrast to Palestinians for whom it is illegal to carry a weapon, tightly enforced at all of the numerous checkpoints.
Each day, the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) received reports of serious, violent attacks on Palestinians living in or passing through vulnerable areas where settlers filled the streets.
On Friday evening, on the ‘Prayer Road’, leading up to the large settlement of Kiryat Arba, a group of 8 Palestinians were attacked in a barber shop. ISM spoke to one of the victims, Fayed, who reported a large group of settlers forcing entry to his father’s shop. Despite attempts to persuade the settlers to leave, more arrived to join the attack.
Up to 100 settlers sprayed pepper spray, threw stones, chairs and pieces of wood, damaging property and injuring Fayed, his brother, his uncle and father. Fayed’s 21-year-old cousin suffered a broken hand, whilst he and his uncle and father sustained injuries to the head and arms, resulting in hospitalization. The police eventually moved the settlers on; however, no arrests were made. Only basic details of the attack were taken down and there has been no further investigation of the crime.
Later that night, there were further reports of violent attacks by groups of settlers in the same area, including an assault on a young old child, who was kicked and sprayed with pepper spray, requiring him to be taken to hospital. A Palestinian bride was also harassed and attacked by settlers as she celebrated her wedding day.
Despite the heaviness of occupation pressing down on them, the brutal and unprovoked attacks from the settlers, and frustration at the lack of protection from the authorities, Fayed and his family are quietly resistant: “Our life here is hard, but we have to resist. We try to be nice to everyone… to treat them nice, we don’t want any violence. Violence is not the solution….the settlers carry M16 guns. It’s normal for us and our situation here – to be attacked, arrested, killed. We grew up like this. What can we do? We don’t have a lot of power or support. We can’t fight with guns or knives, this is not the solution.
How many Palestinians have been killed? Guns and knives are not free, they do not make Palestine free. We are not against Jews, we are against Zionists and settlers, and those that occupy our houses. ”
The following day, the entire Old City district plus large swathes of the normally unrestricted area (known as ‘H1’) was locked down, making way for thousands of settlers to be given religiously-oriented tours of the city. Many were intoxicated, chanting provocative anti-Palestinian songs, shouting abuse, and urinating on Palestinian property.
As the day progressed, their behavior became increasingly violent, with numerous incidents of settlers throwing rocks, bottles and other items at Palestinian people and homes, as well as unlawfully entering or climbing on Palestinian property. Israeli forces remained passive, merely supervising the passage of the crowds through Palestinian areas.
In one shocking incident, a group of settlers attacked the home of a known Palestinian activist, Imad, who has been frequently targeted since speaking out against the murder of a Palestinian by Israeli forces several years ago.
Imad and his family are some of the few Palestinians brave enough to continue living in Tel Rumeida, part of an area in the heart of the Old City which has been designated a restricted military zone (known as ‘H2’). Since 1968, Al Khalil has been subject to the establishment of illegal Jewish settlements, and over the last 20 years, the area has seen a huge influx of hardcore settlers who believe, for religious reasons, that they have a right to occupy the land.
These are some of the most extreme settlers in Israel, who routinely perpetrate abuse and violence against Palestinian residents, including children going to school. Many Palestinians have been forced out of their homes, and for those who remain, living in this area is extremely dangerous; there is a daily threat to life and limb.
On Saturday, as the streets of Tel Rumeida were inundated with thousands more armed settlers, the violence and intimidation escalated. There were multiple reports of attacks on Palestinian people and property. Footage was recorded, of large groups of drunken settlers climbing on the roofs of Palestinian homes, abusing and intimidating residents.
On Saturday, Imad remained confined at home with his grandchildren, due to the large numbers of settlers who had been marching and congregating in the streets outside, making it unsafe for Palestinians to leave the house. Imad heard settlers climbing on his roof, and trying to enter his home through the entrance way. He called friends to come and help. and unsuccessfully tried to convince the settlers to leave.
The large group was shouting abuse, spitting and throwing stones at bottles. Moments later Imad heard crying from where his 18-month-old grandson was sleeping. As he ran into the room, he discovered that a settler had thrown a stone through the open window, striking the child on the head and wounding him.
Due to the closed and restricted nature of this part of the city, an ambulance was unable to reach the house to attend to the child. The child had to be carried through the streets, protected by a circle of local people from the settlers, who continued to try to attack the group as they tried to reach the ambulance.
Imad explains that the soldiers arrived at the house during the attack. However, they only stood watching, and failed to intervene in stopping the violence.
When local Palestinian’s arrived to provide support, the soldiers pushed and held them back, threatening to arrest them. Soldiers also failed to provide any first aid or show concern for the injured child.
Despite the heavy military and police presence throughout the city, over weekend, it was abundantly clear that they were there to protect the settlers, and not the Palestinian residents. There was a complete failure to protect Palestinians under attack. Police also failed to undertake any investigation into the various incidents, or attempt to bring to justice those settlers engaging in violence against Palestinians.
This raises concerns that the Israeli military is turning a blind eye to the violence, sanctioning and enabling it to occur — or, alternately, that they simply have no power or authority to control the violence. The risk for Palestinians trying to resist the occupation and violence, such as Imad, is to be punished, singly or collectively, for their defiance in the face of the creeping genocide of the Palestinian land and people.
Whilst trying to document and observe violence and abuse, ISM experienced hostility and aggression from both settlers and soldiers, including physical and verbal threats, restriction of movement, as well as having passports photographed by police and threats of arrest, in a clear attempt to deter us from our work. Pro-Palestinian activists in Israel risk deportation, including a 10-year ban from the country, serving to silence and prevent the documenting of human rights violations in Palestine.
Visit the International Solidarity Movement (ISM)
Human Interest 11/181/19 Living Under Occupation in the West Bank
By Friday afternoon, thousands of celebrants had arrived in the city and the already extensive Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) presence (normally 4000 IOF soldiers guard the 400 Israeli settlers) was even greater than usual. Enhanced security measures were in place and major roads were blocked off, obstructing Palestinian movement around the city, and forcing Arab shops to close for business in an already suffocated economic environment (due to businesses and areas being closed by military order, and commerce/tourism heavily suppressed by restrictions on movement through checkpoints).
Many of the visiting settlers were visibly armed, with handguns or automatic weapons, in stark contrast to Palestinians for whom it is illegal to carry a weapon, tightly enforced at all of the numerous checkpoints.
Each day, the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) received reports of serious, violent attacks on Palestinians living in or passing through vulnerable areas where settlers filled the streets.
On Friday evening, on the ‘Prayer Road’, leading up to the large settlement of Kiryat Arba, a group of 8 Palestinians were attacked in a barber shop. ISM spoke to one of the victims, Fayed, who reported a large group of settlers forcing entry to his father’s shop. Despite attempts to persuade the settlers to leave, more arrived to join the attack.
Up to 100 settlers sprayed pepper spray, threw stones, chairs and pieces of wood, damaging property and injuring Fayed, his brother, his uncle and father. Fayed’s 21-year-old cousin suffered a broken hand, whilst he and his uncle and father sustained injuries to the head and arms, resulting in hospitalization. The police eventually moved the settlers on; however, no arrests were made. Only basic details of the attack were taken down and there has been no further investigation of the crime.
Later that night, there were further reports of violent attacks by groups of settlers in the same area, including an assault on a young old child, who was kicked and sprayed with pepper spray, requiring him to be taken to hospital. A Palestinian bride was also harassed and attacked by settlers as she celebrated her wedding day.
Despite the heaviness of occupation pressing down on them, the brutal and unprovoked attacks from the settlers, and frustration at the lack of protection from the authorities, Fayed and his family are quietly resistant: “Our life here is hard, but we have to resist. We try to be nice to everyone… to treat them nice, we don’t want any violence. Violence is not the solution….the settlers carry M16 guns. It’s normal for us and our situation here – to be attacked, arrested, killed. We grew up like this. What can we do? We don’t have a lot of power or support. We can’t fight with guns or knives, this is not the solution.
How many Palestinians have been killed? Guns and knives are not free, they do not make Palestine free. We are not against Jews, we are against Zionists and settlers, and those that occupy our houses. ”
The following day, the entire Old City district plus large swathes of the normally unrestricted area (known as ‘H1’) was locked down, making way for thousands of settlers to be given religiously-oriented tours of the city. Many were intoxicated, chanting provocative anti-Palestinian songs, shouting abuse, and urinating on Palestinian property.
As the day progressed, their behavior became increasingly violent, with numerous incidents of settlers throwing rocks, bottles and other items at Palestinian people and homes, as well as unlawfully entering or climbing on Palestinian property. Israeli forces remained passive, merely supervising the passage of the crowds through Palestinian areas.
In one shocking incident, a group of settlers attacked the home of a known Palestinian activist, Imad, who has been frequently targeted since speaking out against the murder of a Palestinian by Israeli forces several years ago.
Imad and his family are some of the few Palestinians brave enough to continue living in Tel Rumeida, part of an area in the heart of the Old City which has been designated a restricted military zone (known as ‘H2’). Since 1968, Al Khalil has been subject to the establishment of illegal Jewish settlements, and over the last 20 years, the area has seen a huge influx of hardcore settlers who believe, for religious reasons, that they have a right to occupy the land.
These are some of the most extreme settlers in Israel, who routinely perpetrate abuse and violence against Palestinian residents, including children going to school. Many Palestinians have been forced out of their homes, and for those who remain, living in this area is extremely dangerous; there is a daily threat to life and limb.
On Saturday, as the streets of Tel Rumeida were inundated with thousands more armed settlers, the violence and intimidation escalated. There were multiple reports of attacks on Palestinian people and property. Footage was recorded, of large groups of drunken settlers climbing on the roofs of Palestinian homes, abusing and intimidating residents.
On Saturday, Imad remained confined at home with his grandchildren, due to the large numbers of settlers who had been marching and congregating in the streets outside, making it unsafe for Palestinians to leave the house. Imad heard settlers climbing on his roof, and trying to enter his home through the entrance way. He called friends to come and help. and unsuccessfully tried to convince the settlers to leave.
The large group was shouting abuse, spitting and throwing stones at bottles. Moments later Imad heard crying from where his 18-month-old grandson was sleeping. As he ran into the room, he discovered that a settler had thrown a stone through the open window, striking the child on the head and wounding him.
Due to the closed and restricted nature of this part of the city, an ambulance was unable to reach the house to attend to the child. The child had to be carried through the streets, protected by a circle of local people from the settlers, who continued to try to attack the group as they tried to reach the ambulance.
Imad explains that the soldiers arrived at the house during the attack. However, they only stood watching, and failed to intervene in stopping the violence.
When local Palestinian’s arrived to provide support, the soldiers pushed and held them back, threatening to arrest them. Soldiers also failed to provide any first aid or show concern for the injured child.
Despite the heavy military and police presence throughout the city, over weekend, it was abundantly clear that they were there to protect the settlers, and not the Palestinian residents. There was a complete failure to protect Palestinians under attack. Police also failed to undertake any investigation into the various incidents, or attempt to bring to justice those settlers engaging in violence against Palestinians.
This raises concerns that the Israeli military is turning a blind eye to the violence, sanctioning and enabling it to occur — or, alternately, that they simply have no power or authority to control the violence. The risk for Palestinians trying to resist the occupation and violence, such as Imad, is to be punished, singly or collectively, for their defiance in the face of the creeping genocide of the Palestinian land and people.
Whilst trying to document and observe violence and abuse, ISM experienced hostility and aggression from both settlers and soldiers, including physical and verbal threats, restriction of movement, as well as having passports photographed by police and threats of arrest, in a clear attempt to deter us from our work. Pro-Palestinian activists in Israel risk deportation, including a 10-year ban from the country, serving to silence and prevent the documenting of human rights violations in Palestine.
Visit the International Solidarity Movement (ISM)
Human Interest 11/181/19 Living Under Occupation in the West Bank
Several fanatic illegal Israeli colonialist settlers invaded, on Friday at dawn, the Taybeh and Deir Ammar villages, in the central West Bank governorate of Ramallah, and burnt a Palestinian car, in addition to writing racist graffiti and puncturing the tires of many cars.
Locals said the colonists, who came from the nearby Neria illegal colony, wrote racist graffiti, including “Death to Arabs,” “revenge,” and other slurs, on walls of many homes.
They added that the colonists also punctured the tires of five cars, in addition to writing graffiti on them.
Locals said the colonists, who came from the nearby Neria illegal colony, wrote racist graffiti, including “Death to Arabs,” “revenge,” and other slurs, on walls of many homes.
They added that the colonists also punctured the tires of five cars, in addition to writing graffiti on them.
A group of Israeli settlers on Friday morning chopped off dozens of Palestinian-owned olive trees in al-Sawiya village, south of Nablus.
Anti-settlement activist Ghassan Daghlas said that Israeli settlers from the illegal settlement of Rahalim cut down about 30 olive trees owned by the Palestinian citizen Mahmoud Sulaiman in al-Sawiya.
Daghlas added that the settlers erected a tent in the area probably in a prelude to establish an illegal settler outpost.
Anti-settlement activist Ghassan Daghlas said that Israeli settlers from the illegal settlement of Rahalim cut down about 30 olive trees owned by the Palestinian citizen Mahmoud Sulaiman in al-Sawiya.
Daghlas added that the settlers erected a tent in the area probably in a prelude to establish an illegal settler outpost.
28 nov 2019
At least 48 Jewish settlers on Thursday morning desecrated the Aqsa Mosque’s courtyards in groups under police protection.
According to the Islamic Awqaf Authority, those groups of settlers carried out provocative tours at the Aqsa Mosque.
The Awqaf Authority also said that police officers also defiled and searched the Mosque’s Bab al-Rahma prayer building.
About 75 settlers had defiled the Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday and received explanations about the alleged temple mount.
The Aqsa Mosque is exposed to daily desecration by Jewish settlers and police forces in the morning and the afternoon except on Fridays and Saturdays.
The Israeli police close al-Maghariba Gate, which is used by Jews to enter the Mosque, at 10:30 am after the settlers complete their morning tours at the holy site. Later in the afternoon, the same gate is reopened for evening tours by settlers.
During the presence of settlers inside the Mosque compound, entry restrictions are imposed on Muslim worshipers at the entrances leading to the Mosque and their IDs are seized until they leave the holy place.
According to the Islamic Awqaf Authority, those groups of settlers carried out provocative tours at the Aqsa Mosque.
The Awqaf Authority also said that police officers also defiled and searched the Mosque’s Bab al-Rahma prayer building.
About 75 settlers had defiled the Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday and received explanations about the alleged temple mount.
The Aqsa Mosque is exposed to daily desecration by Jewish settlers and police forces in the morning and the afternoon except on Fridays and Saturdays.
The Israeli police close al-Maghariba Gate, which is used by Jews to enter the Mosque, at 10:30 am after the settlers complete their morning tours at the holy site. Later in the afternoon, the same gate is reopened for evening tours by settlers.
During the presence of settlers inside the Mosque compound, entry restrictions are imposed on Muslim worshipers at the entrances leading to the Mosque and their IDs are seized until they leave the holy place.