Israeli Occupation Forces carry out night raids against Nabi Saleh and Nil’in

byMairav Zonszein: +972 Magazine: 18 June 2012

The Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh was raided last night (Sunday) by the IDF. Nabi Saleh, which has been conducting weekly nonviolent demonstrations since the end of 2009 against Israel’s occupation and the encroaching settlement of Halamish, has been the target of repeated night raids over the last two years.

In the video below, uploaded by Bilal Tamimi, you can hear the IDF shooting stun grenades into the village and see the flashes of light they give off. Towards the end of the video, you can clearly see the IDF jeeps parked in the village, some soldiers firing shots, and then they all drive away.

Video by Bilal Tamimi, Tamimi Press.

While it is difficult to see in the dark, it seems as if the soldiers are shooting in every direction around them, nearly a full 360-degree circle. If the soldiers were being attacked in some way, it is unlikely it would be from literally all sides and besides, if they were really being threatened, they would be probably also use tear gas, not just stun grenades. It is hard to understanding this as anything other than the IDF terrorizing the village, punishing it for holding weekly demonstrations that call attention to Israel’s occupation.

- – – – – – – – – -

The village of Ni’lin, which recently marked five years of demonstrations, suffered an especially harsh night raid on Thursday night in which two Palestinian residents were arrested. According to the Ni’lin village website, from Saturday:

At 01:30 on Friday morning more than 120 soldiers surrounded the village of Ni’lin from all sides but the west. Thirty minutes later the soldiers invaded the village on foot accompanied by 14 military jeeps. They proceeded to raid five houses inside the village, the houses of Jameel Srour, Jammal Srour, Yousef Srour, Shukri Kawaja and Mosab Srour.

Video by Jihad Habazi

During the house raids, the families were put in one of the rooms in the house while the soldiers harshly went through their belongings, destroying furniture and leaving chaos in their wake. The five men listed above were all arrested but three of them were released later during the night. The two remaining men, Yousef and Mosab Srour were taken to an as of now unknown Israeli military facility where they are still being held as this is being written.

During the invasion of the house of Mosab Srour one of the soldiers stole NIS 1000 NiS from a moneybox of the youngest brother of Mosab. Mosabs brother had been saving this money for months, little by little from his work as a vegetable farmer and salesman. A laptop was also stolen from the house.

While this has not been verified, Palestinian residents claim that in addition to stun grenades, the IDF shot tear gas straight into civilian houses and that live ammunition was used as well.

15 injured by Israeli Occupation Forces during demonstration in Nabi Saleh

By Popular Struggle Coordination Committee: 15 June 2012

Dr. Layla Ghannam, the Governor of Ramallah and Al-Bireh and the first female Governor in Palestine joined the protest in the small hilltop village. 15 protesters were injured as the army violently dispersed the peaceful march.

Photo: Volleys of tear-gas shot during Nabi Saleh demo. In the background, the settlement of Halamish

 With popular protest throughout Palestine gaining momentum, especially concerning the pressing matter of political prisoners, villages like Nabi Saleh serve as a symbol of resilience and persistence. Public representatives and journalists from all major Palestinian media outlets came to the village today to join and witness the weekly demonstration, most notably Dr. Layla Ghannam, the Governor of Ramallah and Al-Bireh and the first female Governor in Palestine.The demonstration started from the center of the village shortly after the Friday prayer. Protesters marched towards the main road of the village, only to be met with extensive shooting of tear-gas canisters and rubber coated steel bullets.  Fifteen protesters were injured during this unwarranted assault and most of them were treated in the field. Clashes maintained for a few hours, following which the army retreated. No arrests were reported.

Background:  Nabi Saleh is a small village of approximately 550 people, twenty kilometres north west of Ramallah in the West Bank of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The Israeli colony of Halamish (also known as Neveh Tzuf ) was established on lands belonging to the villages of An Nabi Saleh and Deir Nidham in 1976.   In response to the illegal colony being established on their land, the residents of An Nabi Saleh and Deir Nidham began holding demonstrations in opposition to the stealing of their land and the establishment of the colony (whose establishment violates international law).    The residents of An Nabi Saleh and Deir Nidham  lodged a court case against the colony in Israel’s high court, but were unable to stop the construction the illegal settlement.

Since its establishment in 1977, Halamish colony has continued to expand and steal more Palestinian land.   In 2008, the residents of An Nabi Saleh challenged the building of a fence by the colony on private Palestinian land and which prevented Palestinians from accessing their land.  The Israeli courts ruled that the fence was to be dismantled  Despite the Israeli court ruling, the colony continued to illegally annex more Palestinian land.  In the summer of 2008, the Israeli colonists from Halamish seized control of a number springs, all of which were located on private Palestinian land belonging to residents of An Nabi Saleh. In December 2009, the village began weekly non-violent demonstrations in opposition to the illegal Israeli colony of Halamish annexing of the  fresh water springs and stealing of more of the village’s land.  Since An Nabi Saleh began its demonstrations, the Israeli military has brutally sought to repress the non-violent protests, arresting more than 13% of the village, including children.    In total, as of 31 March 2011, 64 village residents have been arrested.  All but three were tried for participating in the non-violent demonstrations.  Of those imprisoned, 29 have been minors under the age of 18 years and 4 have been women.

Israeli soldier filmed firing live ammunition and stones at Palestinian protesters suspended

The incident took place in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh; Video appears to indicate that officer’s life was not in danger.

By Gili Cohen and Nir Hasson | Haaretz, Jun.12, 2012

The incident took place in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh; Video appears to indicate that officer’s life was not in danger.

Video by Popular Struggle Coordination Committee
An IDF officer was documented ten days ago hurling rocks and firing live ammunition at Palestinian demonstrators near the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh. In the video, shot by village resident Bilel Tamimi, the officer is seen throwing rocks at two young Palestinian men who are also hurling rocks at him. Later the officer is seen firing in their direction.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit released a statement, stating that “an initial investigation found that live ammunition was used in the incident. The firing officer has been suspended until the investigation is completed.”
The video, uploaded to Youtube, clearly shows clouds of dust rising from the area where the bullets struck, near the Palestinian men. The officer, who was at the scene with four other IDF soldiers, is seen advancing and retreating, suggesting his life was not in danger. According to standing orders, the use of crowd control equipment must be authorized by a company commander, and use of live ammunition can only be used after carrying out protocols for apprehending suspicious suspects.
The villages’ Popular Committee said in a statement that the violence by IDF soldiers reflects Israel’s policies and is not limited to a few isolated incidents. Last December, Nabi Saleh resident Mustafa Tamimi, 28, was killed in a similar incident during a weekly demonstration. In February, the IDF admitted that injuries sustained by a French woman may have been caused by an army tear gas canister and not by rocks thrown by other protesters, as initially claimed.
Both incidents took place during the weekly demonstration by residents of Nabi Saleh against the expropriation of their land in favor of the nearby settlement of Halamish, and the settlers’ takeover of a spring that served the Palestinian residents.
They have been held every Friday for the past two years, with the participation of Israeli and foreign activists. Most weeks they end with Palestinians throwing rocks and Israeli soldiers and Border Police officers firing tear gas canisters and rubber-tipped bullets