ISM Digest 8/17/07

ISM Digest 8/17/07

1. Hebron: Israeli Military Shuts Down Palestinian Business in Old City Market

2. Atira: Road Closures Restrict Palestinians From Leaving Their Own Village

3. Twenty Palestinians Left Homeless in Jordan Valley

4. Haaretz: "State Asks High Court to Rule if it Must Evacuate Heftsiba Squatters"

5. JTA: "Settlements a Risky Investment"

6. Nablus: Occupation Forces Use Family Home As Sniper Post

7. Report and Video from Bilin: Four Detained as Military get Physical with Demonstrators

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Hebron: Israeli Military Shuts Down Palestinian Business in Old City Market

August 12th, 2007

Early on the morning of the 9th of August inside Hebron's old ministry square, Abu Hatim Jaudat Hasula's hardware store was locked up and welded shut by the Israeli occupation forces. The 64-year-old shopkeeper had dared to defy both the Israeli occupation forces' illegitimate threats and the appeasing surrender of other local shop- owners that had many other Palestinians shut down business and leave the area.

The occupation forces turned up with the proper papers but without any warning. Within 30 minutes, they closed up the shop, still filled with Abu Hatim's belongings and goods, and then welded the hinges, thus leaving the large metal gates bolted up. Until further orders are produced, the army has declared that the shop will be locked down for two months.

The Israeli occupation forces justified their decision to close down these shops by claiming that they were trying to prevent Palestinians from blowing holes in the backs of their shops and entering a nearby rabbinical school. Neither 64 year old Abu Hatim nor his fellow shopkeepers have ever attempted to do anything even remotely related to this mentioned security threat.

In the past few weeks, many Human Rights Workers (HRWs) have spent the mornings in the old city market to support the local shop-owners in opening for business.

Every single day the occupation forces try to make Abu Hatim close his shop by phoning him and then by showing up at the shop. Yet until this morning the soldiers' legal papers had been missing. Several shops have already closed including the 4 neighboring shops on Abu Hatim's side of the market.

HRWs and the Christian Peacemaker Teams had been cooperating in order to support Abu Hatim's shop and thus a large group of internationals were present soon after the rumors of the military action spread through Hebron.

Around 9:30 am, the soldiers began to leave the area, having successfully welded shut all 5 of the old shops on one side of the market, including Abu Hatim's hardware store.

With the soldiers pulling out one Swedish HRW commented on the morning's military action: "It's typical to see the few real attempts to fight the occupation end in paper work and threats. The army knows how this will kill the little business that still is left in the old city and pacify the Palestinians."

Leaving the market one of the military APCs turned around revealing a newly sprayed political statement on the side of the jeep to the entire market. Rumors have suggested that either HRWs or TIPH are responsible for the 'Free Palestine' graffiti on the army vehicle.

Abu Hatim has lost his only source of income, first and foremost directly by having his shop welded shut, but also because he will lose the subsidy the PA gives to business owners in economically unstable areas.

Day by day, business diminishes in the old city, among other places in the old market opposite Shuhada Street. Watching the progress of the Israeli occupation forces, one easily sees a similar future to the old city market as the one Shuhada Street is facing now, completely deserted and almost exclusively open to Israeli settlers.

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Atira: Road Closures Restrict Palestinians From Leaving Their Own Village August 12th, 2007

At 8:00am, Palestinian, Israeli and international activists participated in a demonstration against the closure of the only road leading out of the village of Atira. Approximately 60 people gathered together chanting slogans and waving banners to protest the limited access they have to and from their own village.

Atira 12th August Demonstration

The demonstration itself was totally non-violent as the village wanted to retain their reputation for not causing trouble. There were a number of attempts to walk beyond the barrier however the army declared it a closed military zone. Consequently, the village's mayor attempted to negotiate with the Israeli soldiers and border police to discuss the issue and seek to redress the travel restrictions placed upon residents. However, Mansoor Khatib, who residents identified as an Israeli border police captain, explained that he had no authority to negotiate or compromise. He did however agree to a meeting the following day at 3pm to find a way of redressing the situation. It was not clear however if he would be personally present or if another member of the Israeli Authorities would be present. Following this, demonstrators slowly dispersed and returned back to the village.

The mayor, Issa Hamed, stated his commitment to addressing the issue without aggression or violence and insisted that he wishes to keep all youths and demonstrators from acting in a violent manner: "If just one person throws a stone, the army will retaliate with live ammunition." He re-iterated the need to maintain peaceful protests against the closure and would continue to demonstrate until a suitable resolution is found.

Background: The Village of Atira is located approximately 6 kilometers south of Ramallah, however despite this distance it takes approximately 45 minutes to drive there due to the closure of numerous roads to Palestinians, leaving them to take a long winding route through pot- holed and disintegrating roads. It is surrounded by two large illegal settlements: Beit Horon and Giv'at Ze'ev.

The village itself has only one entrance at which there are a number of road-blocks and a large metal gate. This gate is opened only three times a day to the residents allowing them in and out of the village. The times are as follows:

7:30 - 8:00 in the morning 2:30 - 3:00 in the afternoon 7:00 - 8:00 in the evening.

Outside of these hours the gate is closed and residents are unable to pass. This includes ambulances and other essential vehicles.

Atira gate

The road was first closed in 2000, however in 2002 the route was re- opened. Since then the military have placed restrictions upon the access of the road arbitrarily, closing it for many months at a time. Approximately 6 months ago the road was opened up completely, allowing free access for the village residents, however three weeks ago they closed the road once more, cutting the village off economically and socially from the rest of the West Bank.

As a direct consequence, five people have been reported to die as a direct result of not being able to access medical treatment in a timely manner as ambulances cannot reach the village. Only a week ago, a local boy endured an acute episode of appendicitis, a potentially life threatening condition if not treated correctly. It took over two hours for him to reach hospital, a period in which he could easily have died.

Of the 3,000 residents of Atira the majority work in Ramallah, as a consequence of the road closures they are unable to work normal hours, commit to a job or become full time workers as required by the roles they undertake. For example, a young barber who wanted to open a shop, could not because in order to work full time, he would have had to be in Ramallah from 11am through to 11pm. This proved to be an impossible task due to the closures. The closures effectively restrict the economic capacity of the population further impoverishing a community that already faces hardships as a consequence of the occupation. A further 20 families that own farm land in the area have had their lands confiscated or their access restricted in turn preventing them from any means of economic survival.

The local school, The Atira- Beit Ur High School is located on the outskirts of the town and is separated from the village by Route 443, now a settler road. Due to restrictions in movement, even for children, kids as young as 6 must cross a rocky valley, climb a steep set of stairs leading to Route 443 and following this, crawl through a tunnel leading under the road, to reach the school on the other side. The mayor petitioned the Israeli authorities to allow locals to construct a path that would enable the children to cross without harm, but the proposal was rejected because the path would lead to the settler road and would therefore pose a security threat.

The restriction of access to land and to travel is another example of collective punishment by the Israeli State against the Palestinians. Collective punishment is a war crime as outlined in Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which was ratified by Israel in 1951. The conditions that the village suffers as a consequence of restricted access, demonstrate clearly the strategy of making life for Palestinians so difficult to live in areas close to settlements that they are forced to leave. This creates the perception that Palestinians leave of their own accord, however in reality, this is the consequence of the implementation of restrictions and obstacles constructed by the Israeli state.

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Twenty Palestinians Left Homeless in Jordan Valley August 13th, 2007

ISRAELI MILITARY RENDERS TWENTY PALESTINIANS HOMELESS, CONFISCATES JORDAN VALLEY LAND

For Immediate Release Contact: Molly Simons 0599943157

This morning at 8:30 am, The Israeli military demolished the small village of Al-Hadidya in the Jordan Valley. The four small homes that comprised the village were demolished and twenty Palestinians were left homeless. The homes were the property of four nuclear families, who have lived in the village since 1982, after the Israeli military evicted them from their previous dwellings in Al-Ruwak. Three weeks ago, the Israeli occupation forces informed the families that they had three weeks to move from the village. The Israeli occupation forces confiscated a tractor that was used to transport tanks of water in order to expedite the Palestinians' departure. The army confirmed for Amnesty International and other HRWs in the area that the families would have to pay a fee of 4500 NIS in order to get the tractor back.

The Israeli occupation forces plan to use the area for shooting exercises and have been open about confiscating limited water resources for exclusive use by nearby illegal Israeli settlements. This incident is part of a larger Israeli plan to drive Palestinians out of the area through confiscating water resources, restricting movement and demolishing homes. In forcing out local Palestinians, Israel hopes to annex the Jordan Valley, preventing this area from becoming part of a future Palestinian state. According to B'tselem, every Israeli government has considered the Jordan Valley to be the eastern border of Israel and has sought to annex it. Israel has established 26 illegal Jewish-only settlements in the area and has instituted a system of harsh restrictions for local residents.

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Haaretz: "State Asks High Court to Rule if it Must Evacuate Heftsiba Squatters" August 15th, 2007

By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent

The State Prosecution asked the High Court of Justice on Tuesday to rule on whether it is obligated to remove to squatters from dozens of apartments in the Matityahu East district of the West Bank settlement of Modi'in Illit.

The High Court issued an injunction roughly a year and a half ago preventing the apartments from being populated, in response to a petition Peace Now and the Bil'in council that argued the settlement neighborhood is illegal.

The would-be tenants stormed apartments they had purchased after it became clear the construction company, Heftsiba, was going bankrupt. On Monday, the Jerusalem District Court ruled the state is allowed to remove them.

The State Prosecution query to the High Court followed a correspondence it had held with the petitioners' lawyer, Attorney Michael Sefarad. The prosecution maintains that the High Court ruling, which prohibits the habitation of Matityahu East but does not demand immediate evacuation, is untenable.

In its ruling, the Jerusalem District Court said, "This decree does not contradict previous court ruling, including some issued by the High Court of Justice, that clearly prohibit any use of Heftsiba housing projects."

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JTA: "Settlements a Risky Investment"

August 15th, 2007 Legally questionable land purchases have played a role in bringing one of Israel's largest contractors and one of the chief builders of West Bank settlements to the brink of bankruptcy, says the spokesman for Americans for Peace Now.

by Ori Nir. Published: 08/10/2007

WASHINGTON (JTA) - When West Bank settlers recently launched an ambitious campaign to sell homes in settlements to American Jews, Peace Now warned that investing in real estate across the Green Line was not only politically and morally wrong but also financially risky.

Little did we know that this real estate twilight zone would play a role in bringing Heftzibah Construction, one of Israel's largest contractors and a chief builder of West Bank settlements, to the brink of bankruptcy.

Although the financial collapse of Heftzibah was due not only to its illegal building on privately owned Palestinian land, its story should serve as a red flag for anyone considering a real estate deal in a West Bank settlement. Ask the 430 fervently Orthodox families that paid Heftzibah $100,000 each for small apartments in the settlement of Modi'in-Illit. These homeowners are barred by court order from occupying their homes because Heftzibah built some of them on private Palestinian land.

The story of Heftzibah's entanglement in Modi'in-Illit is a microcosm of how land has been grabbed and manipulated by settlers, dealers and contractors - with the generous helping hand of Israeli politicians and government bureaucrats.

It started with the dubious purchase by an Israeli land dealer of large plots around the village of Bil'in, west of Ramallah. The land dealer, Shmuel Enav, was later convicted of encouraging other land dealers to make financial contributions to the right-wing Likud Party in exchange for expected favors from Likud's elected officials.

In and around the site of Modi'in-Illit, Enav bought large plots of land from Palestinians who apparently misrepresented themselves as the legal owners of the land. According to an investigation by the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, Israeli government officials declared the land "state land" and then leased it to the dealers in order to launder potentially illegal land deals.

Other portions of the land zoned for the large housing project in Modi'in Illit, now the largest settlement in the West Bank, were outside the municipal boundaries of the settlement and known to have been privately owned by Palestinians. Despite all that, building permits were issued - illegally - and Heftzibah went ahead with the construction project.

At that point Peace Now, with some of the landowners, appealed to the Supreme Court, which ordered the work stopped. The court also ordered the government to open a criminal investigation to determine how the illegal building permits were issued and explain why it would not demolish the illegally constructed homes.

If anything is unique about this story, it is that Heftzibah and others are being held accountable by the Supreme Court for the kind of illegal conduct that has become common practice in the West Bank. Recent Peace Now reporting, based on official Israeli government data, shows that about one-third of land used by West Bank settlements is private Palestinian property. The data show that nearly a quarter of land on which the settlements are actually built is privately owned by Palestinians.

Furthermore, Peace Now reporting points out that despite the very generous allotment of land for settlements by the government - only 9 percent of the area under the jurisdiction of West Bank settlements has been built on - nearly all of the settlements, 90 percent, exceed their official boundaries. About one-third of the territory used by the settlements lays outside their jurisdiction.

Peace Now's petition to the High Court of Justice was intended not only to protect the rights of Palestinian landowners. Foremost, it was done with Israel's security in mind, with the strong conviction that a viable, stable Palestinian state in the West Bank is a necessary condition for long-term Israeli security. Settlements hinder the establishment of such a state.

The intensified litigation efforts by Peace Now obviously are not an alternative to political action by the Israeli government to freeze and then reverse the settlement enterprise. This litigation, rather, serves the function of deterrence. It is a way to remind Israelis - the government and the public - that settling the West Bank is not cost-free and that land across the Green Line is not a reserve of real estate for expansion. Court action is a tool to focus Israelis on the tremendous political value of the West Bank as the territory from which Israel will need to withdraw if it is to continue to exist as a democratic Jewish state.

Hopefully, by giving a second thought to the financial risks of investing in West Bank real estate, Israelis and American Jews will also ponder the damage done to Israel's future by constructing settlements across the Green Line.

Ori Nir is the spokesman for Americans for Peace Now, a Zionist organization that promotes Israel's security through peace and supports the Israeli Peace Now movement.

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Nablus: Occupation Forces Use Family Home As Sniper Post August 13th, 2007

At around 7:50pm a group of seven internationals were alerted to a house occupation by Israeli forces which had lasted for almost 20 hours. Israeli soldiers occupied the home of the Dwakat family, which consists of 2 brothers, Muhammed 28 years old and Hamed 29 years old, the wife of one of the brothers, 25 years old, and their two small girls aged three and six years old. Residents suspected that Israeli soldiers were interested occupying the house due to its location facing the Balata refugee camp. This was the second time the house had been invaded in the last three months.

The international group arrived at 8:05pm. After trying to assess the situation from locals who lived in the area and who knew the family, a group of six went up to the second floor of the apartment building while one person stayed behind outside the house to monitor the situation as a safety precaution. Internationals knocked on the door for about 5 minutes and asked to see if the family were alright. The door opened slightly and was immediately shut again. The room inside was in complete darkness as was the rest of the building.

After another minute or so one male soldier with an American sounding accent opened the door to speak with the internationals assuring them that the family was fine and was in need of no medical attention. He asked for the video camera to be turned off and then brought one of the brothers to the door to show he had been unharmed. The soldier then promptly shut the door and refused to engage in further dialogue.

The American international stationed outside the building was brought in to try and resume negotiation with the soldier. She entered the building while another international went outside to take her place. After speaking with the soldier she was able to see that the two young children were unharmed, but was unable to get inside the apartment.

After placing a call to the humanitarian line of the DCO, the internationals were assured the family would be released very soon. Within the next few minutes, a large army vehicle arrived and parked directly outside the entrance to the apartment block while another couple of smaller armoured army vehicles arrived and parked on each adjacent side. At the same time other army vehicles were seen heading towards Balata refugee camp at which time the internationals decided to move to the camp while another two stayed behind to ensure the release of the family. At approximately 9:10pm almost an hour after the international group arrived, 10 soldiers vacated the apartment block and immediately drove away. Prior to that one of the soldiers who had driven up in an armoured vehicle had requested to speak to the two internationals away from the entrance to the apartment block stating it was not safe for him to be there, however only one of the internationals went to speak with him to find out exactly when the family would be released while one stayed facing the entrance to the building. After the soldiers were seen to have left and started driving away the two ran upstairs to check on the family. They all appeared to be fine and were full of smiles especially the two young children.

Hamed Dwakat told the internationals that a group of ten soldiers had rung the bell at around 2am. The soldiers asked Hamed if there was anyone else present in the building and told him that they would open fire on him if they were lied to. The soldiers then entered the apartment and told the family not to speak at all. They were held in the kitchen for 20 hours. A soldier sat pointing a gun at them the whole time while the other soldiers occupied the rooms facing the refugee camp. The family were able to eat snacks and use the toilet throughout. He also told us that at around 6am four hours from the time the soldiers entered, young children on the street below suspected there were soldiers inside and started throwing rocks up to the second floor window, to which the soldiers responded by opening fire.

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Bilin: Four Detained as Military get Physical with Demonstrators August 10th, 2007

Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yD7GVNo_Vk&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Epalsolidarity%2Eorg%2Fmain%2F2007%2F08%2F10%2Fbilin%2Dfour%2Ddetained%2Das%2Dmilitary%2Dget%2Dphysical%2Dwith%2Ddemonstrators%2F

About 100 international, Palestinian, and Israeli activists, and demonstrators, gathered in Bil'in village on the morning of August 10th 2007 for what was to be the 131st demonstration against the illegal Apartheid wall and the Israeli settlement of Modiin Ilit.

It would be the first demonstration since the illegal squatting by Israeli settlers on unfinished homes in the settlements, a consequence of the bankruptcy of Heftsiba - an Israeli real estate company. The bankruptcy came about as a consequence of a court order delaying the construction of homes in the settlements of Modiin Ilit, Matityahu Mizrah, Betar Ilit and Maleh Adumim.

On a normal Friday, the demonstration would take place at approximately 1pm following midday prayers, however today organizers had decided on a new strategy. The original idea was to initiate the demonstration at 10am, approaching the Apartheid Wall at a time when there would be fewer soldiers which would enable the demonstrators to do essentially what they came to Bil'in to do: demonstrate. This seemed to be an increasingly difficult task as week after week soldiers fire tear gas, sounds grenades and gas canisters before demonstrators get anywhere close to the Wall. Unfortunately, the military were well informed of the demonstrators time change and were prepared at 10:00am to disperse the demonstration. The demonstration began shortly after 11am, later than the soldiers had expected, but also much earlier than usual.

Demonstrators marched enthusiastically towards the Apartheid wall, chanting and shouting, expressing to the world and media about their hopes for an end to the occupation, their desire to see the Apartheid wall brought down, and wish for the soldiers to go home. As with most demonstrations in Bil'in, things didn't stay enthusiastic for very long as Israeli soldiers and border police quickly released a hail of tear gas canisters and sound grenades upon the demonstrators.

As demonstrators moved back to avoid the gas, the army began to encroach upon them, moving through the olive groves from the road and from the flanks. When they came upon groups of demonstrators, with their hands held to the sky in order to show they had no weapons, there was still no hesitation by the soldiers in throwing further tear gas canisters and firing sounds grenades.

When the soldiers and border police saw that some demonstrators refused to leave the area they attempted to arrest a local Palestinian man known as Abdullah. Several international activists came to his assistance, helping to prevent the army from taking him in an arbitrary arrest. The soldiers were not willing to give up so easily and grabbed and kicked at activists trying to get them to let go of Abdullah. However the demonstrators managed to hold onto Abdullah and he was not arrested.

The army continued to attempt to arrest a number of other international and Palestinian demonstrators in a form of harassment designed to beat them down and break their confidence, but due to many quick actions on the part of the demonstrators many were able thwart the army in their attempts to disperse the demonstration.

It seemed that the demonstration was going well, for the demonstrators, until the Israeli soldiers managed to take a British activist. The activist was asthmatic and was struggling to breath when the soldiers grabbed him and, between four soldiers, carried him away while he was still desperately trying to gasp for air.

Several activists followed, as the soldiers carried the asthmatic demonstrator away, calling out to the soldiers to address his medical condition and the need for treatment as it was a life threatening condition. As the demonstrators pushed forward, desperately trying to ensure the health of one of their fellow activists, they were instead met with aggression as the soldiers responded by firing more tear gas and sound grenades on the demonstrators.

A local Palestinian man offered to speak Hebrew with the soldiers, trying to alert them to the arrested demonstrators condition, but was arrested. A further Palestinian man was grabbed and detained, for no apparent reason, along with another French activist present. Beyond this, many of the activists suffered various injuries varying from tear gas inhalation, through to cuts bruises and grazes from the military as they pushed, shoved, beat and kicked demonstrators; attempting to arrest many more. The most serious injury was a severe cut to the head of a female demonstrator who was hit by an Israeli soldier as a group of them tried to arrest her. In total were five people were arrested (though later found to just have been detained): two internationals and three Palestinians.

For some time after the soldiers continued to fire tear gas at the demonstrators and eventually after some time demonstrators appeared to be given sufficient space and time amidst the tear gas to enable them to retreat. Demonstrators walked back to the village, hands held in the air in a gesture of non-violence, yet as what appears to be a last glance round, the military began throwing tear gas once more towards the demonstrators with no apparent regard for the fact that they were retreating anyway.

Demonstrators re-grouped at the International House in Bil'in and after a period of rest, and refreshment, activists were called to begin the demonstration once again. There was a decision to go back once more in order to get as close to the apartheid wall as possible, and hopefully convince the soldiers to release their detained friends.

When the demonstrators once again approached the apartheid wall, which the soldiers again stood in front of, the soldiers again quickly fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. About fifteen demonstrators managed to evade the tear gas and stay in front of the soldiers who also shot rubber bullets to ensure that the retreating crowd would stay away. The remaining activists quickly sat on the road, hands in the air, in front of the soldiers in order to show that they were still unarmed and just wanted to peacefully demonstrate.

After about fifteen minutes, with the demonstrators inching closer and closer to the soldiers, an officer came to speak with the crowd. An Israeli activist, present with the remaining demonstrators, negotiated with the army officer that they would be able, three at a time, to approach the apartheid wall; which had been the goal of the demonstration at the beginning. The Israeli activist also managed to convince the soldiers to release their detained friends. However Palestinian youth, unaware of the negotiations, and angry at the military aggression in their village, threw some stones on the soldiers, who were, at the time, distracted by the demonstrators. This managed to effectively cease all negotiations, and the detained demonstrators were held for a longer time as the soldiers chased after these Palestinians youth: firing rubber bullets as well as tear gas on them.

At around 12 PM, an international observer was detained by border police while trying to obstruct the passage of around 20 soldiers and police involved in arbitary violence towards a Palestinian man. This man had become separated from the rest of the demonstration because of sound bombs and tear gas being thrown by the police, and was subsequently being pushed, kicked, and punched by police and soldiers.

The observer chose not to walk and was carried away by 6 border police. The arresting party was followed by a camera with a live feed to Israeli TV. When the camera left the soldiers began to kick and punch the detainee. They tried dragging him along the ground by his hair and then one officer stood on his face, while another twisted his arm, and another kicked him in the side. The observer also had asthma which was being triggered by the attack. Needless to say he agreed to walk.

However, when he stood up one solder grabbed him by the throat and began to strangle him. When this officer released his grip the observer attempted to use his inhaler but was prevented from doing so. One officer actually pulled his hand away from his face while he was trying to use it and broke the inhaler. A second observer, seeing what was happening ran after the soldiers shouting to them that they needed to allow him to use his medication. The officers detained him also.

They tied both the detainees wrists with plastic cable ties and took them to a razor wire pen where there were already two detained Palestinian men. The pen, on the 'Israeli' side of the annexation wall, was around two meters in diameter, in the sun with no shade. After a few minutes the asthmatic detainee was finally seen by a medical person and was given medication, before being returned to the pen. All four detainees remained there for for over 3 hours,leaving the detainees with sunstroke and sunburn. One of the detainees shirts was ripped off his back in his arrest making detention in the sun even more dangerous.

After around 3 hours all 4 detainees were escorted back through the annexation wall and released without being given a reason for their detention.

The detained demonstrators were all released between 3:30 and 4:30pm into the village of Bil'in, and fortunately none were arrested.

ENDS

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