Since the middle of June, over a dozen youth from Beit Ommar under the age of 18 have been arrested, most of whom live near the illegal Israeli settlement, Karmei Tsur. In one instance, a 7 year old boy was also given a summons to present himself to Israeli security in the Etzion settlement, an incident the Israeli military reportedly now says was a “mistake” and that the summons was meant for another, older boy of the same age. This week a 12 year old boy will also be attending a military court hearing after being arrested last month.

As a campaign of harassment and intimidation, all of these arrests occur in the middle of the night, when often-masked … Continue reading

Early this morning, Wednesday, June 16, 7 year-old Muhsen Yousef Awwad was handed a summons by Israeli forces ordering him to report to the Etzion settlement police station for interrogation during an arrest campaign throughout the village of Beit Ommar. Two young men were also arrested this morning, bringing the total to six arrests this week of young men from Beit Ommar, most residing near the Karmei Tsur settlement and ranging in age from 15-24.

At 19.30 today, May 2, an Israeli army snatch squad of 6 soldiers dressed as Palestinians drove into Beit Ommar in a white Ford Transit with Palestinian number plates and took away at least 6 youths aged between 13 and 16. Under cover of darkness the soldiers terrified villagers by throwing numerous stun grenades and firing tear gas into the narrow streets of the town. It is believed that the youths are being detained in Karmei Tsur settlement.
Later this evening a group of around a dozen settlers from Karmei Tsur settlement staged a demonstration on Highway 60 and have attacked Palestinian villagers from Beit Ommar. Reports are coming in that there are 10 Israeli army and Police units at the … Continue reading

From Ma’an News Agency

Dozens of masked soldiers raided the West Bank villages of Bil’in and Nil’in Monday morning to post decrees designating the village’s lands closed military zones on Fridays for a period of six months, residents said.

The areas between the wall and built up villages will be declared closed military zones every Friday between 8am and 8pm for six months, the military decrees read.

According to a statement issued by Bil’in’s Popular Committee, the move comes one week after the head of the Israeli Shin Bet threatened to step-up action against the Palestinian popular struggle in the two villages that see weekly protests against the separation wall’s construction.

The Popular Committee said the decrees went into effect on 17 February, … Continue reading

For the second week in a row the National Committee of Beit Ommar organized a demonstration, along with the Palestine Solidarity Project, to block Route 60, a major north-south highway past Beit Ommar that is used by settlers from throughout the Hebron District, in protest of the crackdown on Palestinian popular resistance, unabated settlement expansion (including new homes planned in the nearby settlement of Beitar Illit) and the continued theft of Palestinian land.

50 participants, including Israeli and International solidarity activists, arrived at the entrance to Beit Ommar, carrying Palestinian flags and posters calling for the end to the Occupation. Upon reaching route 60 and sitting … Continue reading

In the pre-dawn hours of Thursday, February 25, Israeli forces entered Beit Ommar and carried out an extensive arrest and intimidation operation, lasting several hours. Five men were arrested, their homes ransacked and copious amounts of tear gas and percussion grenades were shot throughout the streets. An additional seven men were summoned for interrogation by the Israeli intelligence services, Shabak.

One of the men arrested, Ibrahim Awad, lives above a local kindergarten supported by Palestine Solidarity Project. Israeli soldiers returned to Awad’s home at approximately 7am and threw sound grenades at the door of the kindergarten while children were inside. They remained in the area, continuing to throw sound grenades within feet of the kindergarten, as children … Continue reading

In the pre-dawn hours of Thursday, February 4, several units of Israeli soldiers stormed Beit Ommar, invading several houses and forcing women and children out into the rain, some standing for several hours. In the end, 9 men were arrested:

Murshid Muhammad Murshid Al-Aqeed, 35
Ayesh Ahmad Murshid Za’aqeeq, 23
Rami Bassam Khalil Za’aqeeq, 32
Muhammad Bassam Khalil Za’aqeeq, 20
Murad Amer Ahmad Abu Juda, 21
Muhammad Amer Ahmad Abu Juda, 20
Sharif Fathi Muhammad Brageith, 22
Ashraf Ali Khalawy Sabarna, 27
Jihad Khalawi

This makes a total of 16 people arrested from Beit Ommar in the last 2 weeks alone. We know that several of the previously arrested youth were taken directly to Al Mascobieh (Russian Compound), usually reserved as an Israeli intelligence interrogation center. No … Continue reading

The New York Times this Friday included a large article on page 4 of the front section about the “new” anti-wall demonstrations, which they erroneously say began in Bil’in but have now spread to 4 other villages. In response to questions by the Times reporter about the nature of the protests, and whether they could be considered non-violent, an Israeli spokesman reportedly said, “these are not sit-ins with people singing we shall overcome”. Well, minus the old gospel song, that’s exactly what people in Nabi Saleh did this week during their Friday demonstration. Only after the Israeli military fired on the demonstrators, did youth respond by throwing stones…. Continue reading

On Tuesday afternoon, January 26, an Israeli military patrol of 3 jeeps entered the village of Beit Ommar and began harassing residents. After driving into the center of the village, they began shooting tear gas from the jeeps into groups of residents gathered on the street. Some local boys responded to the presence of occupation forces by throwing rocks at the jeeps. Israeli soldiers then left their jeeps and began chasing some of the boys and opening fire with live ammunition in at least one case. At one point, soldiers detained 16 year old Fathi Ahmed Mohammed Abu Maria outside his home. His grandmother approached the soldiers and Fathi and tried to prevent the detention … Continue reading

In the early morning hours of Saturday, January 23, nearly 100 Israeli soldiers and Shin Bet (Israeli intelligence) officers raided Beit Ommar, entering several homes before arresting three people: Hussein Ibrahim, age 17, Issa Mohammed Issa Awwad, age 21, and Muhanned Khaled Abu Awwad, 20. Israeli forces also entered the home of Thiab Al-Alami, 42, forcing him to strip before they would enter after which they occupied the roof of his house. Israeli forces threw a sound grenade into Muhammed’s house before invading it, terrifying several children inside. Muhanned is the son of Khaled Abu Awwad, a coordinator of the Bereaved Families Circle, a dialogue group of Israelis and Palestinians who have had family members killed during … Continue reading