Punitive home demolitions
Israel forces apply collective punishment policy against families of Palestinian attackers
PCHR 6 Oct — As part of the collective punishment policy practiced by Israeli forces against families of Palestinians accused of carrying out attacks against Israeli forces and/or settlers, on Tuesday morning, 06 October 2015, Israeli forces destroyed two houses in Jabal al-Mokabber village, southeast of occupied East Jerusalem, and rendered their inhabitants outdoor. They also closed a room in a house belonging to a third family in ath-Thoury neighborhood in Silwan village, south of the Old City. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns this crime that is added to the series of crimes committed by Israeli forces in occupied East Jerusalem in particular and in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) in general. PCHR stresses that this crime is part of the collective punishment policy adopted by Israeli forces against innocent Palestinians in violation of article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention that prohibits collective punishment and retaliatory measures against protected persons and their property.
According to investigation conducted by PCHR, at approximately 00:30 on Tuesday, 06 October 2015, Israeli forces, including special units and intelligence officers, accompanied by explosive experts moved into Jabal al-Mokabber village, southeast of occupied Jerusalem, while a helicopter was hovering overhead. They raided two houses belonging to the families of Mohammed Ja’abis and Ghassan Abu Jamal. They obliged their occupants and over 23 neighboring families to leave their houses while firing sound bombs and tear gas canisters to frighten them and prevent them from approaching the area. Israeli forces then planted explosives inside the two houses and remotely blew them up. As a result, the two houses were completely destroyed while other houses sustained serious damage. It should be noted that the 110-square-meter house of Ghassan Abu Jamal used to shelter his wife, Nadia, and their 3 children, while the house of al-Ja’abis is located on the second floor in a 2-story building.
In the same context, Israeli forces raided in the early morning a house belonging to Mo’taz Ibrahim Khalil Hejazi in ath-Thouri neighborhood in the south of East Jerusalem. They surrounded the house, closed its windows with iron plates and then poured concrete in his room.
– Mohammed Nayef Ja’abis (21), from Jabal al-Mokabber village, was killed on 04 August 2014, when Israeli forces fired over 21 bullets at him from a close range after the bulldozer he was driving hit a bus on Street no. 1 opposite to Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. Ja’abis was in his work, yet Israeli forces claim that he carried out an attack against the bus.
– Former prisoner Mo’taz Ibrahim Khalil Hejazi (32) was killed on 30 October 2014, when Israeli special forces opened fire at him while being surrounded on the roof of his family’s house in ath-Thouri neighborhood in Silwan village, under the pretext that he opened fire at Rabbi Yehuda Glick, west of Jerusalem.
– Ghassan Mohammed Abu al-Jamal (32) was killed along with Odai Abed Abu al-Jamal after carrying out an attack on a synagogue in “Har Nov” area in Deir Yassin village in occupied Jerusalem. Israeli forces closed Odai’s house with concrete in July.
http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11299
Locals support family of Jerusalem knife attacker ahead of home demolition
[with VIDEO] SURDA, Ramallah, Occupied Palestinian Territories (MEE) 4 Oct by Sheren Khalel — All roads into the village of Surda, in central occupied West Bank, were blocked with flaming tires and mobs of young men overnight Saturday in a move to prevent demolition of the family home of Muhannad Halabi, who earlier killed two Jews in East Jerusalem. Boys came from villages across Ramallah city to protect the house of “the martyr,” which has reportedly now been slated for demolition, a common practice by Israeli forces against Palestinians suspected of crimes against Israel. Halabi, 22, was shot dead by Israeli forces on Saturday night after he stabbed and killed two ultra-orthodox Jews in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem, home of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound . . . Following Saturday’s incident, the Halabi family was allegedly informed that their home is slated for demolition by Israeli forces. MEE could not confirm whether an official demolition notice had been issued. Hundreds of villagers from across Ramallah showed up at the Halabi home following the attack in support of the dead attacker, in an attempt to protect his family and their home from demolition overnight Saturday. Mohammed Barghouti, a man from a neighbouring village, drove to Surda with nine other cousins. “When we heard the Israelis were planning to destroy the martyr’s home we came right away to help. We have been moving everything and saving anything we can from inside their home for them,” Barghouthi said. “And when the soldiers come, we will all fight. There are more than a thousand men and boys on the streets waiting to protect this family.” Within hours, the Halabi home, an immaculate three-storey building that housed his mother, father, and four siblings, was completely emptied, stripped of everything from kitchen cabinets to light fixtures. -‘In support of Al Aqsa’- “We are resilient,” Mahmoud Arian, Halabi’s uncle, told MEE. “Yes, they will come and destroy this home, but we support my nephew’s actions. Muhannad was a smart boy, a law student, top of his class. Muhannad was a normal boy, not overly religious, but he did what he felt he needed to do for his country, his people and his God.” Arian said Halabi had become increasingly political after a friend, Diyaa Talahmah, was shot dead by Israeli forces in Hebron two weeks previously. “Muhannad was deeply upset by his friend’s death, and what the Israelis are doing to Al-Aqsa. In the end, he did what he did in support of Al-Aqsa,” Arian said.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/locals-support-family-jerusalem-stabber-ahead-home-demolition-1702241964
Israel prepares to demolish Nablus homes of settler attack suspects
NABLUS (Ma‘an) 7 Oct — Israeli forces raided the West Bank early Wednesday and broke into the family homes of several Palestinians suspected of killing a settler couple last week near Nablus, witnesses said. On Monday night, Israel’s domestic intelligence service said in a statement they had detained five Palestinians they accuse of carrying out the shooting attack which killed Naama and Eitam Henkin. Shin Bet identified the five men as Raeb Ahmed Alivi, Yahia Haj Hamed, Samir Zahir Kusa, Kerem Lutfi Razek, and Zid Ziad Amar, saying that Alivi was a member of Hamas. Locals told Ma‘an that Israeli forces raided the home of Kerem Lutfi Razek at 4 a.m. and took comprehensive measurements of the property, including windows and door frames. Some family members were questioned by Israeli forces. Israeli soldiers also raided the home of Zid Ziad Amar and Yahia Haj Hamed and took similar measurements of their homes. Shin Bet said that the five Palestinians had “admitted” to the crime of killing the settler couple, as well two other shootings in recent weeks, “neither of which resulted in casualties.” Israeli forces resumed the practice of punitive house demolitions in November last year, after stopping them in 2009. Human rights groups have decried the practice of punitive demolitions as unlawful collective punishment.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768050
Violence / Detentions — West Bank, Jerusalem
Thousands attend funeral of slain Tulkarem teen
[with photos] TULKAREM (Ma‘an) 5 Oct — Thousands of Palestinians on Monday attended the funeral of an 18-year-old Palestinian shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes in eastern Tulkarem the night before. The funeral of Huthaifa Othman Suleiman, 18, set off from a governmental hospital in Tulkarem for the teenager’s hometown of Bal‘a in eastern Tulkarem. Suleiman was reportedly given full military honors during the funeral, and was laid to rest in the Bal‘a town cemetery. Mourners chanted slogans demanding that Israel be held accountable for its crimes. Israeli forces shot Suleiman in the chest during clashes in western Tulkarem shortly after midnight on Sunday. The teenager’s father, Othman Suleiman, told Ma‘an that news of his son’s death “came as a shock to us.” “Yesterday, at 8 o’clock, Huthaifa went to Tulkarem to get paid for work he had done at one of the houses, but hours went by and he did not return home.” Othman said that he called his son more than once on his cell phone but with no answer. Eventually, doctors at Tulkarem’s government hospital picked up and told him that his son had been injured. Huthaifa was pronounced dead as the teenager’s family arrived at the hospital.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768002
Over one thousand mourners gather in Bethlehem to lay 13-year-old Abed Obeidallah to rest
[with photos] Mondoweiss 6 Oct by Sheren Khalel — Israeli forces shot 13-year-old Abed Obeidallah in the chest, killing him almost instantly on Monday afternoon, right as protests were beginning in front of ‘Aida refugee camp, where the boy lived. Since then Israeli media has reported that the boy was shot in the chest by accident. Some reports say Israeli forces meant to shoot the boy in the leg, but the bullet hit the concrete and ricocheted, while other reports claim Israeli forces were aiming at a different person altogether. Regardless of the circumstances of Obeidallah’s death, more than one thousand mourners showed up to lay the young teenager to rest on Tuesday in a cemetery just minutes away from the UN school Obeidallah had just left from before he was shot. Obeidallah was still in his school uniform when he died. His family said he was a good student, his teachers’ favorite. He loved playing football and making people laugh, his family said.
http://mondoweiss.net/2015/10/mourners-bethlehem-obeidallah
Bethlehem falls silent in wake of child’s death
[with photos] BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 6 Oct — Stores, schools and government bodies remained closed across Bethlehem on Tuesday out of respect for a 13-year-old boy who was shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes the day before. Abed al-Rahman Obeidallah, 13, was shot in the chest while returning home from school amid fierce clashes in ‘Aida refugee camp on Monday afternoon. He was taken in a civilian car to Beit Jala hospital where he immediately underwent surgery, but doctors later pronounced him dead. His death spurred further clashes, which continued late into Monday night and left many more Palestinians injured. Obeidallah’s funeral procession was set to leave from Beit Jala hospital at 11 a.m. on Tuesday morning and make its way to the child’s home in ‘Aida camp. He was set to be buried at Rachel’s Tomb cemetery, near the refugee camp. The child was the second Palestinian to be killed in 12 hours, after an 18-year-old Palestinian was shot dead during clashes in Tulkarem overnight Sunday.
On Monday evening, a Red Crescent spokeswoman told Ma‘an that at least 500 Palestinians had so far been injured in the fierce clashes that have swept across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. At least 41 Palestinians have been shot with live rounds, while 143 have been injured by rubber-coated steel bullets.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768022
Using deadly force – as a first resort
+972 mag 6 Oct by Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man — The ‘mistaken’ killing of a 13-year-old boy by the Israeli army is a reminder that all too often, Israeli security forces use deadly force against Palestinians as a first resort — The Israeli army sharpshooter not only shot the wrong person, he or she also shot the wrong person in the wrong part of the body — his chest instead of his leg. That is the official explanation the Israeli army gave on Tuesday for mistakenly killing 13-year-old Abed al-Rahman Abdallah a day earlier during clashes in the ‘Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem. The use of .22 sharpshooter rifles in ‘Aida camp is not a new occurrence, and Abdallah was not the first 13 year old to have been shot there in recent years — mistakenly or deliberately . . . All too often we see cases where Israeli security forces use deadly force against Palestinians — on both sides of the Green Line — not as a last resort, but as a first resort. In fact, since Saturday nearly 50 Palestinian demonstrators have been shot with live ammunition. That is a huge problem, both because it seems to be killing only Arabs and not Jews, but also because police make mistakes. When that mistake involves a bullet to the heart, there is no fixing it. B’Tselem, which has been one of the most vocal opponents of the use of .22 ammunition against demonstrators and stone throwers, put out a statement Tuesday regarding the killing of 13-year-old Abed: “If the sniper’s version of yesterday’s events is indeed correct, namely – that despite being armed with a weapon with telescopic sights and firing in broad daylight, he missed the mark and inadvertently hit a 13-year-old boy, the incidents merely serves to underscore even further the danger this weapon poses,” the human rights organization wrote.
http://972mag.com/using-deadly-force-against-palestinians-as-a-first-resort/112416/
Israeli forces raid mourning tent of slain Jerusalem teen
JERUSALEM (Ma‘an) 6 Oct — Israeli forces on Tuesday raided the East Jerusalem mourning tent of a Palestinian teenager killed by Israeli forces in the early hours of Sunday. The father of Fadi Alloun, 19, told Ma‘an that Israeli forces and intelligence officers raided the tent in Beit Hanina and threw stun grenades and pepper-sprayed mourners. They also removed Palestinian and Fatah flags from the tent and detained an unidentified youth, he said. A Ma‘an reporter said Israeli forces then fired stun grenades at cars leaving the mourning ceremony, including at the private vehicle of Fatah official Adnan Ghaith. Israeli authorities on Monday night said they would not be handing over the body of 19-year-old Fadi Alloun to relatives, despite having agreed to do so earlier that day, a human rights lawyer told Ma‘an. Israeli authorities initially said the body would only be released on condition that no more than 70 Palestinians attend the funeral. They also demanded that Alloun’s family pay a guarantee of 20,000 shekels ($5,200), which would have been refunded if the condition was met. Alloun was shot dead by Israeli forces after he allegedly attempted to stab a 16-year-old Israeli in East Jerusalem early on Sunday. However, Alloun’s family has disputed that he was involved in the attack, saying saying that Israeli forces shot him dead while he was fleeing from Israelis who were trying to attack him.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768034
9 Palestinians injured, 1 critically, in Hebron clashes
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 5 Oct — Israeli forces on Monday shot and injured nine Palestinians with rubber-coated steel bullets during clashes in central Hebron, leaving one in critical condition, medical sources told Ma‘an. Medics at Hebron’s governmental hospital said that a Palestinian youth had been admitted to the intensive care unit after he was hit in the head with a rubber-coated steel bullet. Dr. Walid Zalloum, the hospital’s director, added that a journalist working for a local radio station in Hebron was among the others injured. During the clashes in the Bab al-Zawiya area of central Hebron, Palestinian youths threw rocks and empty bottles at soldiers, who responded with rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas canisters, causing a large number to suffer excessive tear gas inhalation.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768007
2 Palestinians shot, injured during clashes near Ramallah
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 5 Oct — Israeli forces shot and injured two Palestinian youths with live rounds during clashes east of el-Bireh in Ramallah district on Monday, medics said. Israeli forces stationed near the Psagot settlement adjacent to northern Ramallah opened fire on Palestinian youths in the area, injuring two with live fire. The two unidentified Palestinians reportedly suffered injuries to their hands and were taken to Ramallah governmental hospital for treatment, medics said . . . Israeli forces also fired tear gas canisters at Palestinian homes in the area, locals said. Local youths, civil defense crews, and ambulance staff evacuated a family of six from their home in the Jabal al-Tawil area after Israeli forces fired stun grenades and tear gas canisters in the neighborhood. Earlier on Monday, Israeli forces shot and injured at least eight Palestinians with rubber-coated steel bullets in demonstrations at the nearby Beit El settlement and Atara military checkpoint.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768003
Settlers assault Palestinians in Hebron camp, army imposes ‘blockade’
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 5 Oct — Israeli settlers on Monday violently assaulted two Palestinians, including a child, during clashes at al-‘Arrub refugee camp in the southern occupied West Bank, medics said. Settlers reportedly assaulted 13-year-old Adham Musallam from Hebron and Muhammad al-Tarayra, 24, from the village of Bani Naim east of Hebron. They were both transferred to hospital for treatment, medics told Ma‘an. Muhammad Badawi, a Palestinian Red Crescent coordinator in al-‘Arrub camp, said that Israeli soldiers arrived afterward at the refugee camp and fresh clashes broke out. Israeli soldiers reportedly fired tear gas canisters at Palestinians’ homes inside the camp as well as protesters, and many were reported to have suffered excessive tear gas inhalation. Israeli forces were reported to have imposed a blockade on the refugee camp, preventing all Palestinians from entering or leaving, except for humanitarian cases. Locals told Ma‘an that the Israeli army said it was closing the camp in response to Palestinians throwing stones at settlers’ vehicles. A Ma‘an reporter said that an Israeli military vehicle appeared to have closed the entrance of the camp, while another had closed the entrance of the nearby al-‘Arrub college and detained one of the students. An Israeli army spokeswoman said she was looking into the reports. Al-‘Arrub refugee camp lies along Route 60, a major West Bank road that Israeli settlers regularly use to reach a cluster of illegal Israeli settlements in Hebron.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=767995
10-year-old injured as settler attacks continue across West Bank
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 6 Oct – Israeli settlers injured at least two Palestinians, including a 10-year-old boy, in attacks across the West Bank late Monday and early Tuesday, locals told Ma‘an. Settlers reportedly attacked a house belonging to Mahmoud Khalil Abu Qubita in western Yatta in the south of Hebron early Tuesday.Locals told Ma’an that settlers smashed the windows with stones, hitting Abu Qubita’s 10-year-old son, Osama, who had to be transferred to hospital for treatment. The head of Abu al-Hassan al-Qasem hospital in Yatta, Zeiyad abu Zuhra, confirmed that the child had sustained an injury to his head. In Dura, also in southern Hebron, Israeli settlers reportedly caused a car to overturn, injuring its Palestinian driver, although no further details were provided.
Meanwhile, in Jenin, Israeli settlers were reported to have thrown stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling along the main road near Dotan military checkpoint outside the town of Ya‘bad. Witnesses told Ma‘an that the settlers shouted racist slogans at Palestinian drivers. Late on Monday, settlers were also reported to have intercepted the convoy of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah near Sarra village, as he was traveling to Nablus. The settlers attempted to attack the convoy, calling for the death of Palestinians, but they were reportedly held back by Israeli forces. There has been a surge of settler violence in recent days, as settlers carry out violent reprisals following the death of a settler couple who were shot dead by suspected Palestinians south of Nablus on Thursday last week. The attacks have fueled the fierce clashes that have swept across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since the weekend.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768019
Palestinian girl, 18, seriously injured in Jerusalem
IMEMC/Agencies 7 Oct — An armed Israeli settler shot and seriously wounded, on Wednesday, a teenage Palestinian girl, 18 years of age, near the Council Gate (Bab al-Majles) in the Old City . . . The Israeli shooter claims “she tried to stab him,” while eyewitnesses’ accounts contradicted his allegation. The Israeli police alleges the young woman “stabbed the settler in the neck, and tried to escape, before he shot her.” Palestinian eyewitnesses said the wounded girl, from Sur Baher in Jerusalem, did not carry a knife, or a weapon, and that the Israeli assailant was harassing and insulting her, near Bab al-Majles (The Council Gate) before removing her hijab covering her head, and shot her when she tried to push him away. In related news, a Palestinian woman suffered various cuts and bruises in her head and shoulders after the soldiers repeatedly attacked her, in her home, in Batn al-Hawa neighborhood, in Jerusalem’s Silwan town. The woman, Suad Abu Ramouz, lost consciousness, and was moved to a hospital for treatment, where she regained consciousness, and received six stitches. The soldiers invaded her home to remove a Palestinian flags raised on its rooftop.
http://www.imemc.org/article/73290
Two injured by Israeli fire in Bethlehem
IMEMC/Agencies 7 Oct — Palestinian medical sources have reported that two residents were shot and wounded, one of them suffered a serious injury, during clashes with Israeli soldiers and armed settlers, east of the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Local sources said the clashes took place near the Beit Sahour Bridge area, close to Dar Salah village, when armed Israeli extremists and soldiers invade it. The soldiers fired rounds of live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets, seriously wounding Mojahed Naim Abu Sarhan, 18 years of age, with a live round in his chest. Abu Sarhan received stabilization treatment by local medics, and was rushed to a hospital due to the seriousness of his wounds. In addition, a young man was shot with a rubber-coated steel bullet in one of his legs, and received treatment by Red Crescent medics.
http://www.imemc.org/article/73291
2 Palestinians shot, injured after attack on Israeli settler
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Two Palestinians were shot and injured by Israeli forces near the village of Dar Salah east of Bethlehem following an attack on an Israeli settler from the illegal Teqoa settlement, witnesses said. Two Palestinian students from the town of al-Ubeidiya attacked the car of a settler, leaving her moderately injured, locals told Ma‘an. The settler fled the attackers to the Teqoa settlement, where she was transferred to the Hadassah hospital for treatment. The students were shot and injured by Israeli forces following the attack, locals said. Mujahid Naem Abu-Sarhan, 18, was shot in the chest, and Suhaib Ibrahim Hasasna, 18, was shot in the leg. Both were transferred to a hospital for medical treatment, where their conditions are currently unknown. Clashes broke out after the attack, and two other settlers were injured near Dar Salah as Palestinians threw stones at passing vehicles. An Israeli army spokesperson said an Israeli woman was “dragged from her car and beaten” by Palestinians. Israelis driving on the road stopped their cars and fired shots in the air and the suspects fled the scene, she added. The Israeli army is looking into reports of Palestinian injuries, she said.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768051
Video: Tear gas engulfs iconic Bethlehem hotel as tensions mount
PNN 5 Oct — A VIDEO showing last night’s [Sunday’s] chaos on the streets of Bethlehem has been shared online. Photojournalist Muhesen Amren posted his 3.42 minute long film at around 9.30pm yesterday. It has since been viewed over 11,000 times. The film shows heavily armed Israeli soldiers and tanks blasting tear gas and shooting at Palestinians just metres from the main door of the Jacir Palace hotel on Jerusalem street in the north of the town last night. The street is seen filled with gas, and several fires were also started on the road outside . . . The largest hotel in the West Bank, it is popular with tourists visiting Rachel’s Tomb, just 200 metres away, and the Church of the Nativity. The clashes began at around 4pm yesterday (Sunday), in the ‘Aida refugee camp nearby and continued until at least 7pm. Israelis had earlier fired multiple tear gas canisters and rubber bullets at around 100 people who had formed a blockade under the iconic “Key of Return” entrance to the camp. Many of the Palestinians involved were children and young teenagers. One soldier was reportedly wounded by a home-made bomb. Click here to see Muhesen’s video (and others of his) at his Facebook page
http://english.pnn.ps/2015/10/05/video-tear-gas-engulfs-iconic-bethlehem-hotel-as-tensions-mount/
Israeli forces raid Ramallah home of Palestinian attackers
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 5 Oct — Israeli forces on Sunday night raided the West Bank village of Surda near Ramallah and stormed the family home of a Palestinian teenager who stabbed to death two Israelis in Jerusalem’s Old City on Saturday. Neighbors told Ma‘an that large numbers of soldiers arrived at around 3 a.m., and proceeded to ransack the home of Mohannad Halabi, while holding his family in one room and violently assaulting several of them. The neighbors said that one family member began to bleed after he was assaulted. An ambulance arrived to treat him, but the Israeli soldiers reportedly prevented paramedics from accessing him. Neighbors said it was the second time Israeli forces had stormed the house since the stabbing.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=767988
Israeli forces searching for ‘stone-thrower’ find he is three years old
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 5 Oct — Israeli forces on Monday raided a home in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, searching for a Palestinian boy they accused of throwing stones, only to discover the child was only three years old, the boy’s father told Ma‘an. Muhammad Jamal al-Jaabri said that Israeli forces raided his home in the al-Ras neighborhood of Hebron seeking to arrest his son Yousef, who they accused of throwing stones. However, Muhammad said that his son Yousef is only three years old. He said that the soldiers ransacked his house and threatened to detain the child, at which point the father said that he told the soldiers: “Go ahead and take him if you want.” He said the soldiers left his home without any arrests. Human Rights Watch has condemned Israel over its “abusive arrests” of Palestinian children as young as 11 and of using threats to force them to sign confessions.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768000
IOF arrests child with special needs in al-Khalil
AL-KHALIL (PIC) 6 Oct — The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) kidnapped at dawn Tuesday a Palestinian child with special needs near his house south of al-Khalil, a Palestinian rights group revealed. Palestine Center for Prisoners Studies affirmed that the 14-year-old child Hassan Ragbi was detained outside his parents’ home although he can neither hear nor speak. The family informed the Israeli soldiers of their son’s difficult health condition; however they took him to an unknown detention center. The family held the Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for their son’s life, calling on the international human rights institutions to immediately intervene for his release.
http://english.palinfo.com/site/pages/details.aspx?itemid=73967
Hamas cell arrested for murder of 2 Israelis
[with photos] Ynet 5 Oct by Yoav Zitun — Five Palestinians and members of a Hamas cell in Nablus were arrested over the weekend and on Sunday for a shooting attack last Thursday that killed two Israelis, Eitam and Na’ama Henkin, in front of their four children. According to the Shin Bet, who announced the arrests Monday evening, the five admitted to the deadly attack during interrogations. The commander of the group, Ragheb Ahmad Muhammed Alawi (37), was previously a prisoner in Israel. According to the Shin Bet, he recruited the others and gave them weapons to carry out attacks, but was not present during the attack on Thursday. All five were said to have been involved in other attacks as well. Another member of the group was arrested Sunday when undercover security forces entered the hospital in Nablus where he was reportedly receiving care. Palestinians uploaded a video [included in this article] to the internet showing the arrest. The hospital’s manager, Samir Al Hayat told media outlets that security forces entered the hospital, ascended to the building’s third floor, and took Karam al-Masri (23). Hayat mentioned that al-Masri was hospitalized two days prior with a fracture in his arm. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the arrests Monday saying, “We are not prepared to give immunity to any rioter, inciter or terrorist anywhere; therefore, there are no restrictions on the action of our security forces. We will also lift restrictions regarding action against inciters.”
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4707111,00.html
Israel eases Nablus restrictions after shooting suspects detained
NABLUS (Ma‘an) 6 Oct — Israeli forces on Tuesday eased restrictions across the Nablus district that were imposed following a deadly attack on settlers last week, as Israeli authorities announced they had detained five Palestinians accused of carrying out the attack. A Ma‘an reporter said Israeli forces had removed all barricades that were put in place after the shooting and had opened a major road between Nablus and Yitzhar. Israeli forces also reportedly eased restrictions at the Huwwara and Zatara checkpoints in southern Nablus. Freedom of movement has been severely restricted in the wake of a deadly shooting on Thursday that killed a settler couple, identified as Naama and Eitam Henkin, as they were driving on a road outside Nablus. The settler’s four children were in the car’s back seats when their parents were killed. On Monday night, Israel’s domestic intelligence service said in a statement they had detained five Palestinians they accuse of carrying out the attack. Shin Bet identified the five men as Raeb Ahmed Alivi, Yahia Haj Hamed, Samir Zahir Kusa, Kerem Lutfi Razek, and Zid Ziad Amar, saying that Alivi was a member of Hamas. The statement alleged that four of them opened fire on the Henkins’ car between the illegal Israeli settlements of Itamar and Elon Moreh, close to Nablus, after “staking” out the area. After initially opening fire, the statement said, they left their own car and shot the Israeli couple a second time “from close range,” before fleeing the scene, leaving their four children in the car. Shin Bet said that the five Palestinians had “admitted” to the crime, as well two other shootings in recent weeks, “neither of which resulted in casualties.” Rights groups have found that Palestinian detainees are often held arbitrarily and charged after forced confession under interrogation and use of false evidence.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768023
Ministry of Health: ‘129 Palestinians injured by Israel army fire Tuesday’
IMEMC 6 Oct — The Palestinian Ministry of Health (MOH) in the occupied West Bank has reported that at least 129 Palestinians have been injured by Israeli army fire and gas bombs in different parts of the West Bank, Tuesday, and that the soldiers deliberately targeted medics and journalists. In a press release, the MOH said fifty wounded Palestinians were transferred to the Palestine Medical Center in Ramallah; two of them suffered serious injuries after being shot with live Israeli rounds, while the rest suffered mild-to-moderate wounds. It added that eleven Palestinians were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets in Bethlehem. Seven more Palestinians were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets, while many residents suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation. in the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
Furthermore, 45 Palestinians were injured in Nablus, and 16 in Jenin, both in the northern part of the West Bank, suffered mild-to-moderate injuries. Media sources in Jenin said two were shot with live rounds, and dozens suffered the effects of teargas inhalation, during clashes near the al-Jalama roadblock, north of Jenin. The soldiers also invaded a pottery store near the roadblock, and kidnapped the owner after assaulting him. Head of the Emergency Unity of the Red Crescent in Jenin Mahmoud Sa’adi said the soldiers also fired live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets and gas bombs on protesters who peacefully marched against the escalating Israeli violations, wounding two children identified as Ahmad Abdul-Rahim and Mohammad Omran Sabah, in their legs. The two were moved to a hospital, while many Palestinians received treatment for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
He also said that the soldiers attacked medics, and deliberately opened fire on a Red Crescent ambulance near Ramallah, smashing its windshield.
In the Hebron district, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank, soldiers wounded many Palestinians, especially on the main junction leading to Kharsa village, and the Halhoul Bridge, during clashes that took place in the two areas. The soldiers also fired gas bombs at many homes, causing families to suffer the effects of tear gas inhalation.
http://www.imemc.org/article/73283
Six Palestinians kidnapped in Jenin, two injured in Hebron
IMEMC/Agencies 7 Oct — Israeli soldiers attacked, on Tuesday at night, Palestinian protesters, kidnapped six, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, and wounded two others in the southern West Bank city of Hebron . . . Media sources in Jenin said the soldiers used excessive force against Palestinian protesters, near the al-Jalama roadblock, and kidnapped six residents after assaulting them, and took them to an unknown destination. The clashes took place after the soldiers used excessive force against dozens of nonviolent protesters marching against the escalating Israeli violations and assaults against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, and the military escalation in the West Bank. Hundreds of Palestinians also marched from the Jenin refugee camp, heading towards Abu Ali Mustafa junction, while carrying Palestinian flags and chanting against the Israeli violations and crimes, the Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA) said.
In addition, two Palestinians were shot with Israeli rubber-coated steel bullets, after the army attacked protesters in Bad az-Zawiya area, in the center of Hebron city. Medical sources said the two Palestinians, 19 and 22 years of age, were moved to the Hebron governmental hospital.
Furthermore, dozens of Israeli extremists gathered near Jeet village, east of the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia, and attempted to invade it, but the residents intercepted them, forcing them to run away. Israeli extremists also gathered near the main entrance of Majdal Bani Fadel village, southeast of Nablus, and blockaded it with rocks.
http://www.imemc.org/article/73286
Soldiers kidnap 22 Palestinians, including children, in Hebron
IMEMC/Agencies 7 Oct — Dozens of Israeli soldiers invaded, earlier on Wednesday, several Palestinian communities in the southern West Bank district of Hebron, broke into and ransacked homes, and kidnapped twenty-two Palestinians, including children. Media sources in Hebron said the soldiers invaded and violently searched dozens of homes in the Old City, and kidnapped Amir Abu Ramouz, 12, Odai Sharif al-Ajlouni, 13, Nasrallah Abu Sneina, 18, his brother Yasser, 21, and Mohammad Anwar al-Atrash, only 11 years of age. The soldiers also invaded the al-Fawwar refugee camp, and kidnapped Ahmad Samir Hosniyya, 21, while Anan al-Kawamla, Yousef at-Teety, 19, and his brother Naseem, 13, were kidnapped in the al-‘Arroub refugee camp. In Halhoul, north of Hebron, the soldiers stormed homes and kidnapped Mohammad al-Barbarawi, 23, Samer Za’amra, 23, Odai al-Qawasmi, Mohammad Hilmy Aqel and Samer Jamal Midya. In addition, a teenager identified as Mo’tasem Suleiman Sharawna, 17, was kidnapped from his home in Doura town, south of Hebron. Meanwhile, coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements, Mohammad Awad, said the dozens of soldiers invaded his hometown, Beit Ummar north of Hebron, searched dozens of homes and kidnapped seven Palestinians . . . Awad added that the soldiers also distributed leaflets that contained direct threats to the residents of Halhoul and Beit Ummar, informing them of “dire consequences should the local youths continue to throw stones and Molotov cocktails on army and settlers’ vehicles.”
http://www.imemc.org/article/73288
B’Tselem calls on IDF to stop using sniper rifle, .22 caliber bullets
Haaretz 7 Oct — The Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem on Tuesday called on the Israel Defense Forces to cease using a .22 caliber bullet – known in the army as the Toto bullet – to disperse demonstrations, and to refrain from using live ammunition in circumstances that do not pose a danger to human life. B’Tselem’s call followed the release of the conclusions of a preliminary investigation into the death of a Palestinian youth in ‘Aida refugee camp on Monday. The investigation found that Abed a-Rahman Abdallah, 13, had been hit in the chest by a Toto bullet fired from a Ruger sniper’s rifle. At least four Palestinians, including Abdallah, have been killed by Toto bullets and dozens wounded, some of them seriously, since the beginning of the year, B’Tselem said in a statement. The organization said that it had been documenting the use of Toto bullets against demonstrators for years and warned that the reality in the occupied territories contradicts the statements of the IDF to the effect that the use of the ammunition is controlled and limited. If, as the army maintains, the shooting of Abdallah was a mistake by the sniper, who missed his target and hit the boy instead, it only goes to highlight the dangers of using the ammunition, B’Tselem said. Restriction on the use of the Ruger and Toto ammunition – which the army falsely presents as non-lethal and appropriate for use in disturbances – have been gradually lifted, according to B’Tselem. Today, it said, “snipers use the bullets as a matter of course in many places throughout the West Bank, including in circumstances where lives are not in danger and which are very far from those in which live fire is permitted.” The simple fact, according to B’Tselem, is that the “the weapon is lethal and falsely presented by the authorities as a reasonable means of dealing with demonstrations.”
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.679081
Islamic Jihad takes credit for Jerusalem attack, threatens suicide bombings
Haaretz 5 Oct — Islamic Jihad is threatening renewed suicide attacks against Israel in a video released Sunday by the Palestinian militant group, the International Business Times reported, as the group claimed responsibility for a deadly stabbing in Jerusalem on Saturday which killed two Israelis. The group’s armed al-Quds Brigades is behind the professionally edited 58-second clip, entitled Letter 1. It shows an alleged Islamic Jihad member preparing for a suicide attack inside Israel disguised as an Israel Defense Forces soldier. The video features a montage of recent violence on the Temple Mount, across Jerusalem and in the West Bank, along with footage of making of an explosive belt. The man also appears filming his martyr video, usually released after suicide attacks as terrorists’ last message. In the final scene, he approaches a bus station dressed in IDF fatigues, carrying a backpack. The scene fades out as he waits together with a group of soldiers for an approaching bus. Islamic Jihad told AFP that Mohannad Halabi, 19, who on Saturday killed an Israeli man, seriously wounded his wife and injured their 2-year-old toddler before stabbing another Israeli man to death in Jerusalem’s Old City, was a member of the organization. According to the International Business Times report, hours before the attack, the teenager wrote on Facebook: “What’s happening to our holy places? What’s happening to our mothers and sisters in the Al-Aqsa mosque? We are not the people who accept humiliation. Our people will revolt.”
http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel/1.678905
Shin Bet seeks lenient plea deals for Hamas operative to avoid testifying about torture methods
Haaretz 7 Oct by Chaim Levinson — The Shin Bet security service is demanding that the military prosecution sign extremely lenient plea agreements with Palestinians accused of setting up Hamas infrastructure in the West Bank to avoid having its agents testify about the harsh interrogation methods they used, military sources have told Haaretz. Last summer, parallel to the kidnapping of three teenagers in the West Bank, Shin Bet head Yoram Cohen informed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about the Hamas network, which was organized by Saleh al-Arouri, a top operative working from Turkey. The Shin Bet then arrested more than 93 suspected members of the network and filed dozens of indictments at the Ofer Military Court. It seized 30 weapons, including 24 rifles, seven rocket launchers and 600,000 shekels ($153,000). The Shin Bet interrogated 46 of the suspects. But in recent months, as the cases reached the Ofer Military Court, the Shin Bet has been trying to get them closed as quickly as possible, at almost any price, to prevent its men from having to testify, military sources said. This decision was linked to the events of June 2014, when the Shin Bet wrongly suspected that Arouri’s network, which it had come across the month before, was responsible for the kidnapping of Eyal Yifrah, Gilad Sher and Naftali Fraenkel, and as a result thought it could torture the suspects to obtain information. The assumption was that if the Shin Bet was ever challenged, it could legally defend its use of torture because it was aiming to “prevent immediate harm to life.” As it turned out, the Hamas infrastructure had no connection to the teens’ abduction and murder. The torture used now became a problem for the Shin Bet . . . The use of torture is a sensitive issue for the Shin Bet, both because of its domestic legal implications and the fact that investigators involved with torture could be prosecuted abroad. When criminal cases involving harsh interrogation methods go to trial in a military court, Shin Bet investigators must testify as to the reasons for using them to extract a confession. Officials must detail the methods so the judge can rule on the admissibility of the confession.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.679109
Palestinians are fighting for their lives; Israel is fighting for the occupation / Amira Hass
Haaretz 7 Oct — Yes, this is a war, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with his mandate from the people, has ordered its intensification. He does not listen to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ messages of conciliation and acceptance in calmer times, why should he listen to them now? Netanyahu is intensifying the war mainly in East Jerusalem, with orgies of collective punishment. He thus further reveals Israel’s success in physically disconnecting Jerusalem from most of the Palestinian population, accenting the absence of Palestinian leadership in East Jerusalem and the weakness of the government in Ramallah — which is trying to stop the drift in the rest of the West Bank. The war did not start last Thursday, it does not start with the Jewish victims and does not end when no Jews are murdered. The Palestinians are fighting for their life, in the full sense of the word. We Israeli Jews are fighting for our privilege as a nation of masters, in the full ugliness of the term. That we notice there’s a war on only when Jews are murdered does not cancel out the fact that Palestinians are being killed all the time, and that all the time we are doing everything in our power to make their lives unbearable. Most of the time it is a unilateral war, waged by us, to get them to say “yes” to the master, thank you very much for keeping us alive in our reservations. When something in the war’s one-sidedness is disturbed, and Jews are murdered, then we pay attention. Young Palestinians do not go out to murder Jews because they are Jews, but because we are their occupiers, their torturers, their jailers, the thieves of their land and water, their exilers, the demolishers of their homes, the blockers of their horizon. Young Palestinians, vengeful and desperate, are willing to lose their lives and cause their families great pain because the enemy they face proves every day that its malice has no limits. Even the language is malicious. Jews are murdered, Palestinians are killed and die. Is that so? The problem doesn’t begin with our not being permitted to write that a soldier or police officer murdered Palestinians, at close range, when his life was not in danger, or by remote control or from a plane or a drone. But it is part of the problem . . . Not even this newspaper has the economic resources to employ 10 reporters and fill 20 pages with reports on all the attacks in times of escalation and all the attacks of the occupation in times of calm, from shooting through building a road that destroys a village to legalizing a settlement outpost and a million more assaults. Every day. The random examples we do manage to report are but a drop in the ocean . . . .
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.679129
1948 Territories – Israel
Palestinians, Israeli police clash in Jaffa after demo
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 6 Oct — At least three Israeli police officers were injured late Tuesday as Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces in the coastal city of Jaffa following a demonstration in support of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, witnesses and Israeli media said. Hundreds of Palestinians took part in rallies in the center of Jaffa, just south of Tel Aviv, to show solidarity with the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, a Ma‘an reporter said. Participants chanted slogans condemning Israeli violations at the mosque compound and raised Palestinian flags and banners of the Islamic Movement in Israel. Demonstrators had gathered in cars and motorbikes in Jaffa’s main square to protest against Israeli restrictions at the holy site, with many participants blocking roads in the area. Israeli media reported that the crowds threw rocks at Israeli forces after they tried to disperse the demonstration, wounding three policemen. A bus and several vehicles were also damaged during the clashes, with tires and trash set alight. Two Palestinians were detained by Israeli police, Israeli media said.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768044
Day of Rage declared for Nazareth, 1948 Territories
IMEMC/Agencies 6 Oct — The youth movement in the occupied territories of 1948 declared next Thursday as a rage day for the Palestinian masses. In this context, the student movement of the National Democratic Alliance called, in a press statement, for Palestinian masses to participate in the demonstration of the rage day in Nazareth city. The movement assured, according to Al Ray, that this mass demonstration comes to support Al-Aqsa Mosque, and denounce the Israeli settlers’ crimes in the Palestinian territories, especially the execution of Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem. “This demonstration comes to express our duty to our issues and to defend our freedom and our right to live in dignity on in the Palestinian land, the occupied territories of 1948, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip”, the movement said. The alliance called in all the colleges, institutions and universities to participate in the rage day, and to gather in Nazareth city on Thursday.
http://www.imemc.org/article/73276
Gaza
Video: Scenes from the Gaza fuel crisis
Mondoweiss 5 Oct by Dan Cohen — On September 13th, the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Israeli government closed the border crossing to the besieged Gaza Strip, exacerbating existing fuel shortages into a full-on crisis. Since then, cars have been lined up around city blocks to obtain small amounts of fuel – only enough for a day of work. With unemployment in Gaza at a staggering 60%, many of the taxi drivers are men who took the job as a last resort and means of survival. But the fuel crisis has taken away taxi driving and frustration is high.
http://mondoweiss.net/2015/10/scenes-fuel-crisis
Israeli forces detain 3 businessmen from Gaza at Erez crossing
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 6 Oct — Israeli forces arrested three Palestinian businessmen at the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening, locals said. Brothers Hamada, Talal, and Sameer Qassas were arrested at the Israeli-controlled border despite having the required permits to use the crossing. In August, Israeli forces detained six Palestinian businessmen at the Erez crossing. Months earlier, Israel announced it had decided to issue permits to businessmen in Gaza for the first time since 2007.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768041
Export of key vegetables in Gaza Strip banned if too expensive
Fresh Plaza 5 Oct — The General Director of Marketing and Crossings in the Gaza Strip, Tashin Al-Sakka, said Sunday that rising temperatures are the main reason for the growing prices of vegetables in the Gaza Strip.During a press conference held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Information, Sakka said that tomatoes are the most affected by rising temperatures. “The heat has taken a toll on the flowering of various fruits and vegetables. Tomatoes have been especially affected, since they are sensitive to high temperatures; this has resulted in lower market supply and thus higher prices.” . . . Sakka stressed that the sector has a self-sufficiency of vegetables of up to 97%, covering all local markets in Gaza . . . Potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions are considered strategic basic commodities in Gaza, and Sakka says that his Ministry stops exports if the local price per kilo increases above four shekels.
http://www.freshplaza.com/article/146905/Export-of-key-vegetables-in-Gaza-Strip-banned-if-too-expensive
Video: Palestinian artists answer Israel’s Gaza war propaganda
EI 6 Oct by Linda Paganelli — Their styles may be very different, but three young Palestinian visual artists in the West Bank all view their work as a form of resistance against Israel’s occupation. “We don’t use violence or blood imagery in the drawings we make,” said Bushra Shanan, who started to superimpose human figures on photographs showing plumes of smoke rising from buildings during Israel’s bombing of Gaza last year. Shanan explained that she uses these particular images because “anyone who looks at them sees photos of explosions and ash. But for us Palestinians, these pictures have meanings, memories and stories that detail the reality.” Jihad Abdul Haq relocates those explosions to a foreign context, encouraging viewers to identify with Palestinians. “I am interested in having an international impact,” he said. “You can’t turn your back to someone who is going through war.” A short animation by Nidal Fattash shows an Israeli gunboat mowing down four boys as they kick a soccer ball on a Gaza beach, their little bodies ascending to heaven. For these artists, there is no escape from politics.
https://electronicintifada.net/content/video-palestinian-artists-answer-israels-gaza-war-propaganda/14891
Feature: Marriage fears, stigma stop Gaza girls seeking mental health care
LONDON (Reuters) 5 Oct — When Maha, a nine-year-old Palestinian girl living in Gaza, visited a doctor to seek treatment for mental health problems she was told not to come back or she would likely be stigmatised for life, ruining her marriage prospects. Despite high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression in the Palestinian territory, mental health experts say families often avoid seeking help for their daughters for fear of wrecking the family reputation and the girl’s chances of finding a husband. “There is a general stigma and lack of awareness around mental health,” said Bassam Abu Hamad, a public health consultant at Al Quds University in Gaza . . . “In Maha’s case, the doctor – a general practitioner – said that continuing to visit mental health services would affect her reputation and she would be stigmatised forever,” Hamad said. Maha was originally taken to the doctor primarily for epilepsy, which in Gaza is treated as a mental health issue. Her condition deteriorated during last year’s conflict in the territory after she had to run for her life when the family’s home in Beit Hanoun was bombed. Maha, now 13, became very withdrawn and suffered repeated nightmares. It was only when her mother took her back to a doctor for an injury that she was finally referred to a specialist . . . Hamad said families are loath to seek mental health care services for sons as well as daughters, but the reluctance is more pronounced with a girl because of the potential impact on her reputation. “It’s a patriarchal community so women are judged more harshly,” he said. WHO mental health officer for Gaza, Dyaa Saymah, said part of the reason girls with mental health disorders face particular stigma is due to the misconception that mental problems are strongly hereditary. “People believe when a mother with a mental health illness gives birth she may pass this on to her baby. This is why they are afraid of getting married to a girl who has developed some sort of problem,” Saymah said . . . Experts say the protracted conflict in Gaza has triggered acute levels of psycho-social distress, especially among children and adolescents who make up nearly half the territory’s 1.8 million inhabitants. Many are emotionally shattered after living through three wars in the past seven years, the last one being the most devastating. . . .
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/04/health-mental-gaza-idUSL5N1202NO20151004
Pics: Gaza boys reclaim their freedom with street workouts
GAZA (News24- 6 Oct by Shaun Swingler — For Bakr Magadma, and his Bar Palestine crew, their dream is to compete in the street workout world championships, a social movement of fitness enthusiasts who compete against one another in body weight exercises in the outdoors. However, for the crew this will not be a possibility any time soon. This is not due to a lack of skill, strength or commitment, but rather because Magadma, Iyad Aiyad, Sliman Taleb and Mahmoud Nasman live on the Gaza Strip. Street workout is the formalised discipline of outdoor bodyweight workouts which consist of exercises such as pull-ups, push-ups, and sit-ups as well as a number of static holds such as the human flag. The first world championships were held in Latvia in 2011, and the next will be held in Russia at the end of 2015. “We would love to attend the world championships of street workout,” says Magadma, “but in Gaza we cannot attend because of the blockade. It’s too challenging trying to travel out of Gaza.” . . . But street workout provides a figurative escape for the self-taught Bar Palestine crew. “We love this sport – it gives us freedom,” says Magadma. “You don’t need a gym, you don’t need equipment. You can do the street workout in any place you want.” . . . “We work out in the rubble of the buildings because we want to deliver a message to the Arab countries and to the Western world,” says Magadma. “We want to tell them that even though there is a blockade and a siege on Gaza Strip and there is a war, there is still life in Gaza. There is talent in Gaza. Even though there are a lot of difficulties there