Demonstrators were assaulted in Beit Ommar today, as Israeli military forces attacked the village’s demonstration against the recent rapid expansion of building work in the illegal Karmei Tsur settlement.

Fifty demonstrators, consisting of local Palestinians, Israelis, and international solidarity activists marched from the village and attempted to protest at the nearby settlement fence. The protest was met by dozens of Israeli soldiers who prevented the Palestinians from marching across their own land. The soldiers proceeded to push numerous demonstrators to the ground. One Israeli had his ID taken by the soldiers and was later arrested, while another Israeli activist was detained. The soldiers then declared the area a Closed Military Zone, … Continue reading

Two internationals and three Israelis were arrested and beaten in Beit Ommar today, when fifty demonstrators from the Palestine Solidarity Project (PSP), the Welcome to Palestine campaign, and residents of Beit Ommar convened at the secondary fence around Karmei Tsur settlement to protest the annexation of Beit Ommar land.

Thirty of these international solidarity activists were part of hundreds of internationals who attempted to enter Ben Gurion airport on July 8, declaring that they wished to visit Palestine. Only this small group succeeded in entering Palestine.

As the demonstrators walked towards the fence, Israeli soldiers lined the field and declared the area a closed military zone. After ten minutes, they began … Continue reading

On Saturday, July 9, about 70 children ages 8-14 from the Center for Freedom and Justice’s annual summer camp flew kites on a hill across from the Karmei Tsur settlement. The kites featured Palestinian flags and children flew them over the area for about an hour. Children from the summer camp were joined by about 15 Palestinian and international demonstrators. A group of about 15 Israeli soldiers watched from a distance, but did not approach the group.

The settlement of Karmei Tsur is surrounded by a secondary fence, which takes even more land from Beit Ommar residents, for whom farming is a major source of income…. Continue reading

On the morning of June 26, Mahmoud Ahleia, a resident of Beit Ommar, was driving back into the town when Israeli soldiers stopped him at the entrance and questioned him about his car. Ahleia is a taxi driver, and although he has a taxi license, the soldiers told him that he needs to post a sticker which will identify his vehicle as a taxi, instead of a private car. Most of Beit Ommar is located in Area B, where the Palestinian Authority has jurisdiction over civil control. Thus, the Israeli soldiers who stopped Ahleia did not have legal precedence to do so.

The Israeli soldiers removed Ahleia from … Continue reading

On Saturday June 25, about 50 Palestinian, Israeli and international activists gathered in Beit Ommar to demonstrate against the Israeli Karmei Tsur settlement, which has annexed hundreds of dunams of Palestinian land. As demonstrators attempted to enter land belonging to Beit Ommar farmers, Israeli soldiers announced that the area was a closed military zone and said they would not allow anyone to pass. Several Palestinians and internationals then attempted to circumvent the military blockade. At this point, at least 6 soldiers assaulted Mohammed G., a 22 year old Palestinian man from Surif. During attempts to rescue him from the attacks, two international activists were also arrested. … Continue reading

In 2002, Israeli military created the illegal roadblock to prevent the villagers of Surif and the villagers of Al Jab’a to commute back and forth by car. The roadblock consisted of dirt, large stones, at least five massive boulders, and more than nine 2-5 ton concrete slabs and blocks. Presently, Palestinians seeking to reach their village from the neighboring village are forced to approach the barrier by car, unload their goods and crops over the roadblock, and repack them into a car located on the other side of the barrier. While this restriction is extremely difficult to navigate, there are multiple other problems. The barrier … Continue reading

At 2 pm on June 21, the Israeli military shot a few canisters of tear gas and sound bombs onto the main road several hundred meters past the entrance to Beit Ommar. One man fell to the ground from tear gas inhalation and everyone in the street ran up the road to escape the tear gas. An Israeli military jeep, one APC and about ten soldiers stopped at the entrance to Beit Ommar and a few soldiers walked further down the road. Many Beit Ommar residents had gathered earlier in the day for a funeral; Israeli soldiers often throw tear gas and … Continue reading

On June 17, Israeli soldiers interrupted a funeral by throwing tear gas canisters all over the surrounding region. Eventually the tear gas started a fire near three homes and grape and olive fields. Several Beit Ommar residents and a fire truck with high-pressure hoses
spent over a half and hour working to put out the fire. The soldiers then closed the
entrance to Beit Ommar and did not allow anyone in or out of the village. When one Beit
Ommar resident tried to return home through the main entrance, a soldier screamed at
him and shoved a gun in the car window, threatening … Continue reading

On Saturday, 18th June 2011, around 50 Palestinian, Israeli, and international demonstrators staged a protest at the Israeli Karmei Tsur settlement. The purpose of the demonstration was to highlight the confiscation and restriction of access to land owned by Palestinian farmers in the village of Beit Ommar. The main contingent of the demonstration was stopped by the Israeli military, preventing access to the Palestinian farmland. A few demonstrators who approached separately were able to place several Palestinian flags atop the fence surrounding the settlement. These demonstrators were detained and escorted back to the area where the rest had been stopped by the military.

… Continue reading

On Tuesday, June 14, the Israeli military demolished 24 structures in the Palestinian village of Fasayel, in the southern Jordan Valley. At 6 o’clock in the morning, about 10 military jeeps, one civil administration vehicle and 3 bulldozers entered the Palestinian villages of Fasayel, turning the area into a ‘closed military area’ and preventing anyone from entering the village for more than 3 hours.

The army demolished 18 homes, 3 animal shelters and 3 other structures, leaving 18 families homeless and without any source of income.

Some of the owners of the structures include:
Qaïd Atallah Salame
Uhsein … Continue reading