24 feb 2017
Israeli forces on Friday suppressed a crowded march in the Old City of the southern occupied West Bank district of Hebron, as local Palestinian residents and international activists demanded the reopening of closed streets and the removal of the illegal Israeli settlers from the city.
The march was launched in line with the 23rd anniversary of the Ibrahimi mosque massacre, when Jewish-American settler Baruch Goldstein entered the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron and shot dead 29 Palestinian Muslims during worship.
Since then, according to the organizers of Friday’s protest -- Veterans For Peace, Youth Against Settlements, and Codepink -- Shuhada street, which was once home to the old city’s main marketplace, has remained almost entirely closed to Palestinians.
The march set off Friday at noon from the al-Sheikh neighborhood and headed towards al-Shalala Street near al-Shuhada Street.
Locals reported that Israeli forces fired tear-gas canisters at protesters, causing some of them to suffer from suffocation.
An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an that on Friday “hundreds of Palestinians protested in the Hebron area. A number of protesters hurled rocks at Israeli forces. As a result, soldiers fired tear gas to disperse the riots.”
Located in the center of Hebron -- one of the largest cities in the occupied West Bank, the Old City was divided into Palestinian and Israeli-controlled areas, known as H1 and H2, following the Ibrahimi mosque massacre in 1994.
Some 800 notoriously aggressive Israeli settlers now live under the protection of the Israeli military in the Old City, surrounded by more than 30,000 Palestinians.
While Israel claims to abide by peace agreements regarding the area, the international community has repeatedly slammed Israel for its draconian measures carried out against Palestinians.
Palestinian residents of the Old City face a large Israeli military presence on a daily basis, with at least 20 checkpoints set up at the entrances of many streets, as well as the entrance of the Ibrahimi Mosque itself. Additionally, Palestinians are not allowed to drive on Shuhada street, have had their homes and shops on the street welded shut, and in some areas of the Old City, are not permitted to walk on certain roads.
Meanwhile, according to a statement from the march’s organizers, Israeli settlers move freely on the street, drive cars, and carry machine guns.
“Families on Shuhada Street are not able to buy their food without passing through checkpoints and facing harassment from soldiers and settlers. I hope soon that families living on Shuhada Street are again able to live with the freedom and dignity that has been denied to them for for too long,” said Youth Against Settlements founder Issa Amro.
After Israeli forces suppressed the march, tens of protesters regathered and threw shoes at pictures of US President Donald Trump at the entrance of Shuhada Street.
Local activist Muhammad Zghir said that the demonstration was in protest of Trump ignoring the rights of Palestinians and being bias toward the side of the Israeli government, adding that the shoes were thrown to "express their anger towards Trump's policies, his racism, and disrespect of Muslims and Arabs."
He added that the Palestinian people "would not give up their rights and will continue to fight any international plan that is in the interest of settlements and occupation."
The march was launched in line with the 23rd anniversary of the Ibrahimi mosque massacre, when Jewish-American settler Baruch Goldstein entered the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron and shot dead 29 Palestinian Muslims during worship.
Since then, according to the organizers of Friday’s protest -- Veterans For Peace, Youth Against Settlements, and Codepink -- Shuhada street, which was once home to the old city’s main marketplace, has remained almost entirely closed to Palestinians.
The march set off Friday at noon from the al-Sheikh neighborhood and headed towards al-Shalala Street near al-Shuhada Street.
Locals reported that Israeli forces fired tear-gas canisters at protesters, causing some of them to suffer from suffocation.
An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an that on Friday “hundreds of Palestinians protested in the Hebron area. A number of protesters hurled rocks at Israeli forces. As a result, soldiers fired tear gas to disperse the riots.”
Located in the center of Hebron -- one of the largest cities in the occupied West Bank, the Old City was divided into Palestinian and Israeli-controlled areas, known as H1 and H2, following the Ibrahimi mosque massacre in 1994.
Some 800 notoriously aggressive Israeli settlers now live under the protection of the Israeli military in the Old City, surrounded by more than 30,000 Palestinians.
While Israel claims to abide by peace agreements regarding the area, the international community has repeatedly slammed Israel for its draconian measures carried out against Palestinians.
Palestinian residents of the Old City face a large Israeli military presence on a daily basis, with at least 20 checkpoints set up at the entrances of many streets, as well as the entrance of the Ibrahimi Mosque itself. Additionally, Palestinians are not allowed to drive on Shuhada street, have had their homes and shops on the street welded shut, and in some areas of the Old City, are not permitted to walk on certain roads.
Meanwhile, according to a statement from the march’s organizers, Israeli settlers move freely on the street, drive cars, and carry machine guns.
“Families on Shuhada Street are not able to buy their food without passing through checkpoints and facing harassment from soldiers and settlers. I hope soon that families living on Shuhada Street are again able to live with the freedom and dignity that has been denied to them for for too long,” said Youth Against Settlements founder Issa Amro.
After Israeli forces suppressed the march, tens of protesters regathered and threw shoes at pictures of US President Donald Trump at the entrance of Shuhada Street.
Local activist Muhammad Zghir said that the demonstration was in protest of Trump ignoring the rights of Palestinians and being bias toward the side of the Israeli government, adding that the shoes were thrown to "express their anger towards Trump's policies, his racism, and disrespect of Muslims and Arabs."
He added that the Palestinian people "would not give up their rights and will continue to fight any international plan that is in the interest of settlements and occupation."
Israeli forces suppressed weekly marches in the occupied West Bank districts of Ramallah and Qalqiliya on Friday, as two Palestinians, including a child, were injured with rubber bullets, while tens of Palestinians suffered tear gas inhalation.
In the village of Kafr Qaddum in Qalqiliya, two Palestinians, including a child, were injured with rubber-coated bullets as Israeli forces suppressed the village’s weekly march against Israeli settlements and the opening of the village’s main entrance which has been closed by Israeli forces for 14 years.
Coordinator of the popular resistance in the village Murad Shteiwi said that Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters and rubber-coated bullets, injuring Muhammad Hilme, 11, in the neck with a rubber bullet and Abdullah Salim, 26, in the leg with a rubber bullet. Salim works as a photographer for the Israeli rights group B’Tselem.
Shteiwi said that nine Palestinians had also suffered from tear gas inhalation.
Shteiwi added that the clashes erupted when Israeli forces raided the village and “heavily fired” rubber bullets and tear gas canisters at protesters.
He also noted that the march was launched with wide participation of Palestinians demanding an end to the nearly half century Israeli occupation, while voicing support for the Palestinian Authority (PA) which the he said was the “only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.”
Residents of Kafr Qaddum began staging weekly protests in 2011 against land confiscations, as well as the closure of the village's southern road by Israeli forces. The road, which has been closed for 14 years, is the main route to the nearby city of Nablus, the nearest economic center.
The Israeli army blocked off the road after expanding the illegal Israeli settlement of Kedumim in 2003, forcing village residents to take a bypass road in order to travel to Nablus, which has extended the travel time to Nablus from 15 minutes to 40 minutes, according to Israeli rights group B’Tselem.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been detained during the demonstrations since their start in 2011, and at least 84 protesters have been injured by live fire, including 12 children, Shteiwi told Ma'an during a similar protest last year.
Some 120 others have been detained at demonstrations and were subsequently held in Israeli custody for periods ranging between four and 24 months, Shteiwi said at the time, adding that they have paid fines totaling some 25,000 shekels (approximately $6,488).
Over the course of five years, an elderly protester was killed after suffering from excessive tear gas inhalation, one youth lost his eyesight, and another his ability to speak, he added.
In December, Israeli forces became the focus of international condemnation when Israeli soldiers wearing matching plain clothes and black ski masks detained a seven-year-old Palestinian during a weekly protest in the village.
A video of the incident was taken by a volunteer of B’Tselem and quickly went viral. Rights groups and activists pointed out that the video seems to show the soldiers using the child as a human shield during clashes.
B’Tselem strongly condemned the incident at the time, saying that “it does not take a lawyer to know that the detention of a seven-year-old child by soldiers, keeping him by their side as they shoot at his friends, is deplorable and utterly unacceptable."
Meanwhile, in the village of Bilin in Ramallah, Israeli forces also suppressed the village’s weekly march against Israeli settlements and occupation.
The march included the participation of both Palestinians and international peace activists.
The protesters held Palestinian flags and weaved through the village’s streets calling for national unity, the immediate release of Palestinian prisoners, and ending the Israeli occupation.
Protesters headed toward Israel’s separation wall in the village, where some Palestinian youths climbed to the top of the wall and raised the Palestinian flag, while Israeli forces shot tear gas canisters at the protesters.
Coordinator of the popular resistance in Bilin Ratab Abu Rahma said that a Norwegian delegation visited Bilin and also participated in the Friday march to support the Palestinian people and their struggle.
Abu Rahma added that the delegation was given a detailed explanation of the situation in Bilin and the village’s longstanding resistance against the Israeli occupation.
Bilin is one of the most active Palestinian villages in peaceful organized opposition against Israeli policies, as residents have protested every Friday for 12 years, and have often been met with tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets, and stun grenades from Israeli forces.
Nearby Bilin, another weekly march was held in the village of Nilin where protesters marched against Israeli settlements, land confiscations, and in commemoration of the 23rd anniversary of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre.
Israeli forces stationed behind the separation wall fired tear gas canisters at protesters, causing a number of Palestinian and international peace activists to suffer from tear gas inhalation.
Protesters held Palestinian flags and demanded the destruction of the separation wall, ending the Israeli occupation, and halting Israeli settlement expansion.
Member of the popular resistance Muhammad Ameira said that six international supporters and tend of Palestinians participated in the march, which has been considered a “weekly tradition for years.”
An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma'an she would look into reports on each of the protests.
In the village of Kafr Qaddum in Qalqiliya, two Palestinians, including a child, were injured with rubber-coated bullets as Israeli forces suppressed the village’s weekly march against Israeli settlements and the opening of the village’s main entrance which has been closed by Israeli forces for 14 years.
Coordinator of the popular resistance in the village Murad Shteiwi said that Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters and rubber-coated bullets, injuring Muhammad Hilme, 11, in the neck with a rubber bullet and Abdullah Salim, 26, in the leg with a rubber bullet. Salim works as a photographer for the Israeli rights group B’Tselem.
Shteiwi said that nine Palestinians had also suffered from tear gas inhalation.
Shteiwi added that the clashes erupted when Israeli forces raided the village and “heavily fired” rubber bullets and tear gas canisters at protesters.
He also noted that the march was launched with wide participation of Palestinians demanding an end to the nearly half century Israeli occupation, while voicing support for the Palestinian Authority (PA) which the he said was the “only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.”
Residents of Kafr Qaddum began staging weekly protests in 2011 against land confiscations, as well as the closure of the village's southern road by Israeli forces. The road, which has been closed for 14 years, is the main route to the nearby city of Nablus, the nearest economic center.
The Israeli army blocked off the road after expanding the illegal Israeli settlement of Kedumim in 2003, forcing village residents to take a bypass road in order to travel to Nablus, which has extended the travel time to Nablus from 15 minutes to 40 minutes, according to Israeli rights group B’Tselem.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been detained during the demonstrations since their start in 2011, and at least 84 protesters have been injured by live fire, including 12 children, Shteiwi told Ma'an during a similar protest last year.
Some 120 others have been detained at demonstrations and were subsequently held in Israeli custody for periods ranging between four and 24 months, Shteiwi said at the time, adding that they have paid fines totaling some 25,000 shekels (approximately $6,488).
Over the course of five years, an elderly protester was killed after suffering from excessive tear gas inhalation, one youth lost his eyesight, and another his ability to speak, he added.
In December, Israeli forces became the focus of international condemnation when Israeli soldiers wearing matching plain clothes and black ski masks detained a seven-year-old Palestinian during a weekly protest in the village.
A video of the incident was taken by a volunteer of B’Tselem and quickly went viral. Rights groups and activists pointed out that the video seems to show the soldiers using the child as a human shield during clashes.
B’Tselem strongly condemned the incident at the time, saying that “it does not take a lawyer to know that the detention of a seven-year-old child by soldiers, keeping him by their side as they shoot at his friends, is deplorable and utterly unacceptable."
Meanwhile, in the village of Bilin in Ramallah, Israeli forces also suppressed the village’s weekly march against Israeli settlements and occupation.
The march included the participation of both Palestinians and international peace activists.
The protesters held Palestinian flags and weaved through the village’s streets calling for national unity, the immediate release of Palestinian prisoners, and ending the Israeli occupation.
Protesters headed toward Israel’s separation wall in the village, where some Palestinian youths climbed to the top of the wall and raised the Palestinian flag, while Israeli forces shot tear gas canisters at the protesters.
Coordinator of the popular resistance in Bilin Ratab Abu Rahma said that a Norwegian delegation visited Bilin and also participated in the Friday march to support the Palestinian people and their struggle.
Abu Rahma added that the delegation was given a detailed explanation of the situation in Bilin and the village’s longstanding resistance against the Israeli occupation.
Bilin is one of the most active Palestinian villages in peaceful organized opposition against Israeli policies, as residents have protested every Friday for 12 years, and have often been met with tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets, and stun grenades from Israeli forces.
Nearby Bilin, another weekly march was held in the village of Nilin where protesters marched against Israeli settlements, land confiscations, and in commemoration of the 23rd anniversary of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre.
Israeli forces stationed behind the separation wall fired tear gas canisters at protesters, causing a number of Palestinian and international peace activists to suffer from tear gas inhalation.
Protesters held Palestinian flags and demanded the destruction of the separation wall, ending the Israeli occupation, and halting Israeli settlement expansion.
Member of the popular resistance Muhammad Ameira said that six international supporters and tend of Palestinians participated in the march, which has been considered a “weekly tradition for years.”
An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma'an she would look into reports on each of the protests.
25 july 2016
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) on Sunday embarked on building fortified security rooms at the entrance to the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil city after it dismantled the electronic barriers there.
The Hebron rehabilitation committee said that these stone made rooms will be built in place of the security barriers in the area and will be provided with electronic search and surveillance utilities.
The committee condemned this Israeli step as a new serious development in Israel's military measures that have existed at the Islamic holy shrine following the shooting massacre of Muslims by an extremist Jewish settler in 1994.
It added that Israel's persistence in imposing restrictions on Muslims' freedom of worship at the Mosque and changing its Islamic identity is a violation of the international law.
The committee appealed to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the UNESCO to take serious action to curb Israel's violations against the Ibrahimi Mosque.
The Hebron rehabilitation committee said that these stone made rooms will be built in place of the security barriers in the area and will be provided with electronic search and surveillance utilities.
The committee condemned this Israeli step as a new serious development in Israel's military measures that have existed at the Islamic holy shrine following the shooting massacre of Muslims by an extremist Jewish settler in 1994.
It added that Israel's persistence in imposing restrictions on Muslims' freedom of worship at the Mosque and changing its Islamic identity is a violation of the international law.
The committee appealed to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the UNESCO to take serious action to curb Israel's violations against the Ibrahimi Mosque.
22 july 2016
Israeli forces are installing a stone checkpoint at the entrance of the Ibrahimi Mosque to restrict Palestinians from entering it, to visit and to pray.
As the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee’s General Manager, Imad Hamdan, illustrated, the new checkpoint will be made of stone in a permanent-style, in front of the historic holy site, which will affect the fabric of the building and the community.
This development came from the Israeli Shamghar committee which also recommended the division of the mosque into two parts following the massacre of Palestinians in the Ibrahimi Mosque in 1994.
Subsequent to the division of the mosque, the holy site fell under tight control by Israeli security and surveillance. These developments were catastrophic to Palestinians and to the old city, as it is a religiously, historically and culturally significant. It is the Palestinian Authority’s responsibility to defend, maintain and combat Israeli policies aimed at colonizing the Ibrahimi Mosque and Palestinian lands.
Checkpoints are used by the Israeli military to deter Palestinian residents from coming to and living in the Old City of Hebron, to restrict their movements and devastate the rights of the local population. Military checkpoints around the Ibrahimi Mosque are placed strategically by Israeli forces to expel Muslim devotees from the area and increase Israeli presence, in and around the mosque.
In the Old City of Hebron, 18 checkpoints currently exist, in addition to more than 130 other access restrictions, which the Israeli military claim are in place in order to provide “security” to the 600 illegal settlers living in the city center and the thousands living nearby.
However, in actuality, checkpoints are one of many tools used by the Israeli military to humiliate the local Palestinian population, appropriate large portions of Hebron’s Old City, and create a closure and expansion policy to ensure Jewish-only areas.
Hebron Rehabilitation Committee (HRC) deplores Israeli plans to further oppress the local Palestinian population by installing a new checkpoint in Hebron’s Old City, near the holy site of the Ibrahimi Mosque.
HRC has called upon diplomats, UN representatives, and NGOs to use all means available to pressure the Israeli government to halt plans to install another checkpoint, abide by international laws and recognize the human rights of Palestinians.
As the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee’s General Manager, Imad Hamdan, illustrated, the new checkpoint will be made of stone in a permanent-style, in front of the historic holy site, which will affect the fabric of the building and the community.
This development came from the Israeli Shamghar committee which also recommended the division of the mosque into two parts following the massacre of Palestinians in the Ibrahimi Mosque in 1994.
Subsequent to the division of the mosque, the holy site fell under tight control by Israeli security and surveillance. These developments were catastrophic to Palestinians and to the old city, as it is a religiously, historically and culturally significant. It is the Palestinian Authority’s responsibility to defend, maintain and combat Israeli policies aimed at colonizing the Ibrahimi Mosque and Palestinian lands.
Checkpoints are used by the Israeli military to deter Palestinian residents from coming to and living in the Old City of Hebron, to restrict their movements and devastate the rights of the local population. Military checkpoints around the Ibrahimi Mosque are placed strategically by Israeli forces to expel Muslim devotees from the area and increase Israeli presence, in and around the mosque.
In the Old City of Hebron, 18 checkpoints currently exist, in addition to more than 130 other access restrictions, which the Israeli military claim are in place in order to provide “security” to the 600 illegal settlers living in the city center and the thousands living nearby.
However, in actuality, checkpoints are one of many tools used by the Israeli military to humiliate the local Palestinian population, appropriate large portions of Hebron’s Old City, and create a closure and expansion policy to ensure Jewish-only areas.
Hebron Rehabilitation Committee (HRC) deplores Israeli plans to further oppress the local Palestinian population by installing a new checkpoint in Hebron’s Old City, near the holy site of the Ibrahimi Mosque.
HRC has called upon diplomats, UN representatives, and NGOs to use all means available to pressure the Israeli government to halt plans to install another checkpoint, abide by international laws and recognize the human rights of Palestinians.
A huge number of Jewish settlers desecrated after midnight Friday the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil city under military protection.
According to Maariv newspaper, thousands of settlers aboard 120 buses escorted by Israeli troops entered the Old City of al-Khalil and performed rituals overnight at the Ibrahimi Mosque.
The Islamic Waqf authority in al-Khalil had previously warned against Israeli moves aimed at fully controlling the Mosque.
In 1972, the Israeli occupation state allowed Jewish settlers to perform rituals in a designated part of the Mosque before it dared to divide it between Muslim and Jews in 1994 following the gruesome massacre of Muslim worshipers by a Jewish terrorist.
In addition, Israel prevents Muslims from performing prayers and reciting ِAdhan (call to prayers) at the Ibrahimi Mosque during the Jewish holidays.
According to Maariv newspaper, thousands of settlers aboard 120 buses escorted by Israeli troops entered the Old City of al-Khalil and performed rituals overnight at the Ibrahimi Mosque.
The Islamic Waqf authority in al-Khalil had previously warned against Israeli moves aimed at fully controlling the Mosque.
In 1972, the Israeli occupation state allowed Jewish settlers to perform rituals in a designated part of the Mosque before it dared to divide it between Muslim and Jews in 1994 following the gruesome massacre of Muslim worshipers by a Jewish terrorist.
In addition, Israel prevents Muslims from performing prayers and reciting ِAdhan (call to prayers) at the Ibrahimi Mosque during the Jewish holidays.