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Palestinians report increased use of live rounds after Israeli politicians called for greater force to quell protests.
Renee Lewis: Al Jazeera: 23 Dec 2012 |
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An Israeli soldier readies a weapon during recent clashes with Palestinians in the West Bank town of Hebron [AFP]
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| Israeli soldiers chase down protesters in a West Bank village and run straight into a barrage of rocks thrown by cheering Palestinians. The soldiers are forced to make a hasty retreat, all the while being pelted by stones.Amateur video footage showing the incident earlier this month in the village of Kufr Qaddoum has prompted high-level Israeli politicians and military officials to call for wider use of live ammunition to quell such demonstrations in the occupied territories.During a recent meeting of Israel’s Ministerial Council, Eli Yishai, Israel’s interior minister, and Shaul Mofaz, the head of the Kadima opposition party, both demanded that soldiers be allowed to use maximum force against threats from Palestinians – including live ammunition.”A soldier operating in the field has the option to make the appropriate decision after evaluating the situation and the amount of danger he and his colleagues are facing, and that based on his personal evaluation, he can resort to the use of live ammunition,” a senior Israeli military commander in the West Bank was quoted by Israel TV’s Channel 7 as saying.
When asked about the use of deadly force, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman told Al Jazeera in an e-mail: “The rules of engagement have not changed.”
Morad Shtiwi, the coordinator of weekly non-violent protests in Kufr Qaddoum, the village where the video of escaping Israeli soldiers was filmed, says the protest took place on December 7, shortly after the latest Israeli attack on Gaza. Shtiwi says that Israeli politicians were embarrassed by the incident, and demanded soldiers be given permission to shoot live ammunition rather than run away. “After this, we heard that the soldiers want to use live ammunition … so for the next week’s demonstration we were very careful. We invited a lot of people – internationals, Israeli activists and the media – because we knew the Israeli soldiers would be angry,” Shtiwi explains. Another Israeli spokesman said regardless of statements made about the use of live ammunition, soldiers are obligated to follow an ethical code known as “The Spirit of the IDF“. “IDF soldiers will not use their weapons and force to harm human beings who are not combatants or prisoners of war, and will do all in their power to avoid causing harm to their lives, bodies, dignity and property,” it reads. But Abir Kopty, a member of the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee, says shooting at Palestinians with live ammunition is nothing new. “According to Israeli military law, every protest in the West Bank is considered illegal and it allows them to use what they call ‘dispersal means’ – this ranges from tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets to live ammunition.” Shooting in Hebron Less than a week after Israeli politicians called for wider use of live ammunition, a teenager celebrating his 17th birthday, Muhammed Salaymah was gunned down at a checkpoint by Israeli police in the Old City of Hebron in the West Bank. Security video of the incident posted by the Israeli daily Haaretz allegedly shows Salaymah attacking soldiers at the checkpoint before he is shot. “They shot him directly with live ammunition. Usually they don’t do this,” says Issa Amro, a human rights coordinator in Hebron. Amro says that recently he and other Hebron residents have noticed an increase in the use of live ammunition against demonstrators. Beginning in the late 1960s, Israeli settlers began taking over buildings in the centre of Hebron’s Old City. The settlements were accompanied by dozens of Israeli checkpoints stationed in the winding alleyways, as well as Israeli military and police forces on the ground and on rooftops.
Conflict between Israeli settlers, the Israeli military and Palestinian residents has been endemic since the settlers’ arrival. Despite this, Amro says residents in Hebron are not used to regularly hearing live ammunition being fired. Since Israeli politicians began talking about giving soldiers more freedom to use live bullets, they say they now hear it almost on a daily basis. “After the killing of Salaymah, it was obvious they were shooting more live ammunition. They shot another teenage boy with three bullets while he was protesting the killing,” Amro says. “I see the soldiers being more violent, more aggressive towards the Palestinians – women, children, normal people – not only shooting live bullets but in the everyday treatment of the people.” He described how a journalist he knows was covering the protests following Salaymah’s death when he was attacked by Israeli soldiers. The journalist was forced to take off his clothes as the soldiers beat him to the ground, pointed a gun in his face and told him they were going to shoot him – then shot in the air. Two journalists from Reuters were given the same treatment. “The Israeli soldiers are working against any voice who wants to speak out against the violence and the occupation in the West Bank,” Amro says. Kopty says in addition to the killing of Salaymah in Hebron, two other protesters were killed during West Bank protests against the war in Gaza: Hamdi Falah from Hebron and Rushdi Tamimi from Nabi Salah. “About 10 more protesters suffered injuries from live ammunition in addition to dozens of injuries from rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas canisters shot directly at protesters,” Kopty tells Al Jazeera. Using live ammunition In another West Bank village that organises weekly, nonviolent protests, Manal Tamimi – a member of the resistance movement – also says she has seen an increase in the use of live ammunition recently. “Since the Gaza war they began to use more live bullets than ever … and after the protest in Kufr Qaddoum [an Israeli military official] said these soldiers’ lives are in danger and they have to protect themselves. He gave the order to Israeli soldiers to use live ammunition,” Tamimi says. Just two days before the war in Gaza ended, her 30-year-old cousin Rushdi Tamimi was shot at a protest with a rubber-coated steel bullet, and died of his wounds two days later, says Tamimi. “Like Muhammed Salaymah in Hebron, my cousin didn’t do anything to the soldiers … he didn’t cause any threat to the soldiers’ lives,” Tamimi says.
“He couldn’t escape because of the injury … One soldier ran towards him and shouted at him. Then when he was very close, he shot Rushdi again in the torso with live ammunition at point blank,” Tamimi says. A video posted to YouTube purports to show the shooting. “He screamed, then the soldier hit him in the head with his gun, and he was bleeding from his head. He died later in the hospital.” Manal Tamimi says Israeli soldiers have been shooting live ammunition almost from the beginning of the protests – whereas before they fired teargas and rubber-coated steel bullets before resorting to live ammunition. Since the end of the last Palestinian revolt, live ammunition has not frequently been used at protests. Amro says he believes Israeli politicians are creating an environment of hatred and vengefulness against Palestinians, and this is spurring the soldiers to shoot more live rounds. “They didn’t manage to destroy Gaza and get out all of their aggression, so they are taking it out on the West Bank people,” Amro says. “They want to teach the Palestinians a lesson that they are not free … They don’t want us to have freedom of expression – we have nothing now.” |
Tag: Israeli army
Activists: Man hospitalized after Israeli army raids Nabi Saleh
by Maan News: 29 July 2012
This is the fifth day in a row that the army have raided Nabi Saleh at the time of Iftar, the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee said.
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces raided the village of Nabi Saleh on Saturday evening and fired tear gas and live ammunition, a local committee said.
Soldiers entered the village just before Iftar, the Ramadan meal to break the fast, and raided several houses without warrants, the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee said.
One man was hospitalized with internal bleeding after being beaten by soldiers and another man, Abd Alrazeq Tamimi, fainted after inhaling tear gas. Abd Alrazeq Tamimi’s son Mustafa was killed in Nabi Saleh last year when an Israeli soldier fired a tear gas canister directly at him from close range.
Saturday’s raid was the fifth day in a row that the army entered Nabi Saleh at the time of Iftar, the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee said.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said soldiers entered Nabi Saleh on Saturday evening during “routine activity” and fired tear gas. She was not aware of any injuries.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said soldiers entered Nabi Saleh on Saturday evening during “routine activity” and fired tear gas. She was not aware of any injuries.
Army unsuccessfully tries to ambush youth in Nabi Saleh
by Popular Struggle Coordination Committee
Residents of Nabi Saleh were surprised to find a group of soldiers attempting to ambush local youth at a private backyard during the weekly demonstration.
Army Using the Skunk Against Protesters in Nabi Saleh. Picture Credit: Anne Paq/Activestills
A few days after welcoming released prisoners, residents of Nabi Saleh went on their weekly demonstration. Joined by Israeli and international supporters, residents called for the release of two members of the local popular committee, Bassem and Naji Tamimi, whose trials are currently taking place at the Military Court at Ofer Compound.
The march commenced from the center of the village, shortly after the prayer. The few dozen protesters marched through the village down to the main road. They aimed to reach the village’s lands and the spring that has been confiscated by the adjacent settlement Halamish.
Upon reaching a distance of approximately 100 meters from the village, the march was violently blocked by the army, which began shooting large amounts of tear gas projectiles and rubber coated bullets. The army also tried, largely in vain, to use what is known as the “Skunk”, a truck shooting foul-smelling water.
Following this, clashed erupted between local youth and the army, which entered the village and took over a private patio to ambush the youth. This effort was also quite unsuccessful, as the ambush was shortly uncovered. A number of demonstrators were hit by tear gas canister and rubber coated bullets, however no severe injuries were reported.
Nabi Saleh welcoming its released prisoners 21 Oct 2011 – Video by Tamimi Press
When Montgomery comes to Nabi Saleh
By Mark Perry
Foreign Policy Magazine: Tuesday, April 26, 2011
On March 24, the Israeli government arrested Bassem Tamimi, a 44-year-old resident of the small Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh, which is just west of Ramallah. Tamimi was arrested for leading a group of his neighbors in protest marches on a settlement that had “expropriated” the village’s spring — the symbolic center of Nabi Saleh’s life.
Tamimi was brought before the Ofer military court and charged with “incitement, organizing unpermitted marches, disobeying the duty to report to questioning” and “obstruction of justice” — for giving young Palestinians advice on how to act under Israeli police interrogation. He was remanded to an Israeli military prison to await a hearing and a trial. The detention of Tamimi is not a formality: under Israeli military decree 101 he is being charged with attempting “verbally or otherwise, to influence public opinion in the Area in a way that may disturb the public peace or public order.” As in Syria, this is an “emergency decree” disguised as protecting public security. It carries a sentence of 10 years.
Israeli military arrest village resident Fadal Tamimi; shoot high velocity projectiles and rubber bullets, injure one child and one man
Video by Tamimi Press
Israeli Army arrests local protest leader in Nabi Saleh
6 March 2011 | Popular Struggle Coordination Committee
Naji Tamimi during a demonstration in Nabi Saleh. Picture credit: Nariman Tamimi
Naji Tamimi, member of the Nabi Saleh popular committee and one of the leading figures in the struggle against the annexation of village lands by the nearby settlement of Halamish, was arrested last night during an army night raid on the village. The military also searched the home of another popular committee member, Bassem Tamimi, absent at the time. These last few weeks saw the army waging an extensive arrest campaign against village residents, specifically targeting minors.
Several detained in Israeli military invasion of An Nabi Saleh
07 February 2011 | International Women’s Peace Service
On Friday, 5 February, approximately 20 international and Israeli activists joined the residents of the village of An Nabi Saleh in the Ramallah district for the village’s regular non-violent demonstration against land confiscation and Israel’s occupation policies. The village had been placed under curfew since 7am, with all roads blocked by the Israeli military.
Prior to the start of the midday demonstration, the Israeli military invaded the village and attempted to prevent Israeli solidarity activists from being present in the village, forcing them to leave. Israeli and international activists, including three International Women’s Peace Service (IWPS) volunteers, however, we able to enter the village via the village fields joining internationals activists from the International Solidarity Movement already in the village.
Continue reading “Several detained in Israeli military invasion of An Nabi Saleh”
Harsh Interrogations of Children Escalate in Nabi Saleh
Popular Struggle Coordination Committee 31 January 2011
14 year old Islam Tamimi was arrested in a night raid on Sunday 23 January 2011 and subjected to psychological torture in order to extract dictated false testimony that will be used to incriminate and prosecute villagers in Nabi Saleh.
In an escalation of the repression of unarmed demonstration in the West Bank, 14 year old Islam Tamimi was seized from his home and arrested at 0200 on Sunday 23 January 2011 . It was the second time in roughly three weeks that he was taken by Israeli soldiers. The soldiers applied stress position techniques on the 14 year old boy, hoping to force his psychological collapse. The exhausted child was then taken to an unnamed police station where he was interrogated without his parents or a lawyer present. During an eight hour interrogation and after prolonged exposure and sleep deprivation, Tamimi capitulated to the army’s dictated script. The army interrogators continued to attack Tamimi with psychological torture in order to extract more false testimony about demonstrations in Nabi Saleh.
Continue reading “Harsh Interrogations of Children Escalate in Nabi Saleh”
Collective Punishment Continues as Army Raids Nabi Saleh
Popular Struggle Coordination Committee 13 January 2011
For the second time this week, soldiers have conducted night raids on the village of Nabi Saleh. Soldiers entered homes throughout the night looking for youth, photographing them and taking ID numbers.
From the hours of 12:00 until 03:00 last night, soldiers raided eighteen houses in the village of Nabi Saleh. Soldiers, in full combat equipment, raided the houses in order to photograph people, mostly young men, and check ID cards. No arrests were made. However, the intentions of the army are clear.
Continue reading “Collective Punishment Continues as Army Raids Nabi Saleh”
Youth arrest in Nabi Saleh
24 December 2010 | International Solidarity Movement
Three days before the first anniversary of the weekly demonstration held in An Nabi Saleh, on December the 22nd, Israeli forces arrested 23-year-old Bahaa Tamimi, a member of the community. He will face a trial in an Israeli Military court within the following week. The military has been searching for him for the past few weeks, frequently entering the village and asking for him. He was on his way to his work in Ramallah in the morning, when he was stopped by an apparently private car. Police asked for his ID and arrested him.
Nabi Saleh Solidarity 