Palestine Solidarity Project » Arrest

Beit Ommar’s Children Face Harassment, Detention

PSP — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 02:41:53 +0000

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 commandos raid homes, forcing everyone out into the street, including women and small children, sometimes for several hours, while the search the home and detain the male youth. Parents are often faced with the awful choice of turning their sons in or risk having their young children terrorized during these night raids. The younger siblings of these boys often suffer lasting symptoms of trauma, including sleeplessness, bed-wetting and extreme anxiety.

Yousef Abu Hashem, 18, was arrested at a flying checkpoint in a northern district of the West Bank where he was working. He is the son of National Committee member and PSP member Ahmed Abu Hashem (Abu Maria). His older brother, Tha’er, was then arrested from his home early Thursday morning along with 3 other boys from the village. They have 5 younger siblings and one 2-week old niece who were all in the home at the time Tha’er was arrested.

‘Amar Abu Maria, 17, nephew of popular resistance leaders in Beit Ommar Mousa and Yousef Abu Maria, was summoned to present himself for “investigation” at the Etzion military base two weeks ago. After Israeli soldiers came to his home several times in the middle of the night looking for him, and told his mother they would “come in shooting” the next time, his father drove him to the military base where he turned himself in. He has been detained ever since.

As an attempt to respond to the extensive adverse affects these arrests have had on the community, the Beit Ommar city council, in cooperation with several NGO’s including the Addameer center for prisoner rights and Save the Children, are holding a series of events for the families of previously detained youth to provide information on how families can support their traumatized children and advocate for their rights while they are in occupation prisons.

7 Year-Old Summoned by Israeli Intelligence Services

PSP — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:58:41 +0000

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.

Israeli Military Snatch Squad Kidnap Beit Ommar Youth, Settlers Attack Residents

PSP — Sun, 02 May 2010 18:57:01 +0000

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 scene and using loudspeakers to order the villagers back to their homes. Soldiers are firing flares, stun grenades and tear gas. The army have again entered Beit Ommar. Jeeps are patrolling the main street and further arrests of local teenagers are expected throughout the night.

Four young men have been named as:

Hussein Shhda Soleiby 16
Rashid Mohammed Awad 16
Ali Said Sabarneh 16
Odai Fahry Ikhlayl 13

It is thought that the Israeli soldiers are punishing villagers for the rallies held at the illegal Karmei Tsur settlement protesting against the destruction of dozens of fruit trees on confiscated farmland. In recent weeks Israeli soldiers have been filmed beating villagers and attacking journalists filming their indiscriminate violence. Last month a 10 year old child was shot with a rubber coated bullet by soldiers from Karmei Tsur during one of their regular invasions to terrorise and intimidate villagers.

Ni’lin, Bil’in Declared Closed Military Zones to Israelis, Internationals on Fridays for 6 Months

PSP — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:02:05 +0000

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, before their distribution, and were signed by Commander of the Israeli Central Command Avi Mizrahi.

According to the Israeli army spokesperson’s unit, “The closed military zone order in the area between the security fence and the villages of Naalin [sic] and Bilin was signed three weeks ago in hopes of preventing the arrival of inciting elements,” the Israeli daily Yedioth Aharanoth wrote.

“The order does not apply to the residents of the villages and they will be allowed to move freely.”

Israeli citizens and international passport holders will not be allowed access to the area according to the decree, which includes the area where weekly protests are held.

Lawyer Gaby Lasky, who represents residents of the villages, told the Popular Committee, that “this is yet another illegal measure taken by the Army, which makes ill use of its authority in order to suppress dissent and infringe on the already volatile freedom of speech in the Territories. Closed military zone orders are not meant to deal with demonstrations, which are clearly in the civic rather than the military realm.”

The statement said the issuing of the decrees happens amidst an ongoing persecution campaign against Palestinian activists in an attempt to suppress “the rising tide of West Bank popular resistance to the Occupation,” which include the detention of 17 Israeli activists in Sheikh Jarrah, a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem, on Friday as they protested home evictions in the area.

4 Detained as Beit Ommar Demonstrates on Route 60 Again

PSP — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:45:29 +0000

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 the road for less than 5 minutes, they were met with over 100 Israeli occupation soldiers, in more than 25 jeeps, who immediately attacked the demonstrators and the awaiting media, shooting copious amounts of tear gas and sound grenades.

The military also immediately began trying to force the media out of the area, breaking several cameras as they beat photographers. They detained 3 journalists and Yousef Abu Maria, coordinator of the National Committee of Beit Ommar. 2 Israeli solidarity activists were also detained, all were released by the end of the day.

At last week’s demonstration the commander announced that if demonstrations on route 60 continued, he would put the entire town of 17,000 under curfew. The same commander later led a raid of the home of PSP coordinators Mousa Abu Maria and Bekah Wolf, and the office for PSP and the Center for Freedom and Justice, taking a computer and scanner/printer.

After today’s demonstration, the Israeli military invaded the village, taking over the roofs of several homes for sniper positions and shooting at youth throwing stones.

Israeli Military Arrests 5, Attacks Kindergarten in Beit Ommar

PSP — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:55:19 +0000

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 screamed and teachers and neighbors insisted that the soldiers leave the area.

Kindergarten children observe an exploded Israeli percussion grenade

9 Arrested Overnight in Beit Ommar

PSP — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:54:10 +0000

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 one has yet been charged.

Demonstrators ‘Sit-in’ in Nabi Saleh, 1 Arrested in Ni’lin During Weekly Demonstrations

PSP — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 07:48:20 +0000

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.

Video from Yisrael Putermam

In Ni’lin this week, over 100 people joined the weekly demonstration. The village’s main entrance was closed by the Israeli military so most media did not get in, while international and Israeli activists arrived through the fields. As the Israeli forces chased the demonstration back into the village, one man from Yabroud village, was detained. No other arrests or injuries were reported.

In Al-Ma’asara, Bethelem District, over 50 residents, joined by Israeli and international activists, marched from the center of the village. One military jeep was parked further into the village, nut the demonstrators just marched around, chanting on their way to the main road and the Annexation Barrier, which is to be routed between Palestinian villages and the Gush Etzion settlement of Efrat.
The demonstration was halted at the entrance to the village, as usual, by a line of razorwire and Israeli military where speeches were then made in several languages before the demonstration peacefully returned to the village.

In Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, after a series of weeks with multiple arrests of mostly Israeli citizens, most of which were released by the courts who admonished the Israeli police for disrupting the peaceful demonstrations, there were no arrests. Demonstrators were “allowed” to gather near the entrance to the neighborhood, while residents of Sheikh Jarrah joined them and gathered on the other side of the police barricade, which was set up to prevent supporters of the Palestinian residents of Sheikh Jarrah from entering, while at the same time allowed “visiting” extremist right-wing settlers to enter freely.

Israeli Military Tries to Run Over Grandmother

PSP — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:05:37 +0000

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 (in the past few weeks 7 teens and young men from Beit Ommar have been arrested. At least some of them have been taken to the notorious Mascobieh interrogation center in Jerusalem. They can often be held for days or weeks without charge and subjected to harsh interrogation tactics and torture, including sleep deprivation, being forced into “stress” positions, and threatened with harm to themselves or their families if they do not inform on others from the village). When his grandmother tried to intervene, a soldier behind the wheel of one of the jeeps began driving forward and Fathi’s grandmother was moved out of the way just before the jeep passed where she had been standing.

3 More Arrested Overnight in Beit Ommar

PSP — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:29:56 +0000

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 the struggle against the Israeli Occupation. This is in addition to 4 men arrested from Beit Ommar on January 21.