Israeli forces detained four Israeli and international peace activists and beat several others on Friday while violently dispersing a protest against the confiscation of a Palestinian building in Hebron in order to re-establish a Jewish settlement on the site, activists said.
A Demo in Tel Aviv (12.04.14) against the settlers in Hebron (Photo Itamar Shahar)
The protest in the flashpoint southern West Bank city began on Friday after noon prayers as protesters marched towards the building owned by the Rajabi family in the al-Ras area in the center of Hebron. Demonstrators raised Palestinian flags and chanted slogans in Arabic, English and Hebrew rejecting a recent Israeli court decision to confiscate the building and hand it to Jewish settlers. Israeli occupation forces fired stun grenades and held protesters away from the building. An activist in the Committee for the Defense of Hebron Anan Dana said the court decision to confiscate the house “would put the lives and properties of thousands of Palestinians who live in the vicinity at risk of more attacks and violations.”
He added that control over the building would link the large nearby Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba to a number of Jewish outposts within Hebron’s Old City. An Israeli court decision on March 11, 2014 authorized the confiscation of the Rajabi building, which Jewish settlers claim to have purchased from the Rajabi family. Jewish settlers took over the building in 2007 for more than a year, during which time Palestinian residents of the area complained of frequent harassment and attacks. The settlers were forcibly removed by Israeli forces in late 2008, but have since been attempting to force authorities to allow them to return to the building. Organizers said that another protest will be held tonight (Saturday) at 20:00 in Tel Aviv Habima square in order to pressure the Israeli minister of defense not to approve the court’s decision, which was made nearly a month ago.
Hebron is a frequent site of clashes due to the presence of 500 Jewish settlers in the Old City, many of whom have illegally occupied Palestinian houses and forcibly removed the original inhabitants. They are protected by thousands of Israeli forces. Settlers and Israeli forces regularly target local Palestinians for harassment, and many have been forced from their homes as a result. A 1997 agreement split Hebron into areas of Palestinian and Israeli control.
Yesterday (Friday) a number of Palestinians were injured and at least seven were detained as Israeli forces violently dispersed weekly protests in a number of cities across the West Bank. Protests against the Israeli occupation and continued settlement expansion on expropriated Palestinian lands took place in Kafr Qaddum, Nabi Saleh, Qaryut, Salim, and al-Maasra.
Kafr Qaddum
In the village of Kafr Qaddum near Qalqiliya, Israeli forces detained two Palestinians while dispersing a protest headed toward the main entrance of the village, activists said. Ghalib Hilmi Ishtewi, 23, and Ibrahim Bassam Juma, 21, were detained and physically assaulted by Israeli forces, witnesses said.
Nabi Saleh
In Nabi Saleh village west of Ramallah two Palestinian women and three foreign journalists were detained, while a French protester was lightly injured and dozens suffered from excessive tear gas inhalation after Israeli forces opened fire with tear gas canisters on protesters, activists said. Protesters marched in the village raising Palestinian flags, and chanted songs for unity, Palestinian principles in the ongoing negotiations with Israel and in support of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. Israeli forces fired tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets, and stun grenades and assaulted participants as they neared their lands that face the threat of confiscation. Activists in Nabi Saleh have been protesting weekly against the occupation for four years, demanding that their lands confiscated by Israeli forces to build the separation wall be returned.
Qaryut
In Qaryut village south of Nablus dozens suffered from excessive tear gas inhalation after Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters, stun grenades and rubber-covered steel bullets at Palestinians protesting the closure of the village’s entrance. They said that there were a number of injuries due to the heavy firing of tear gas by Israeli forces.
Salim
Israeli forces dispersed a protest in the village of Salim east of Nablus condemning the confiscation of lands by Israeli authorities in order to expand a Jewish-only settlement in the area. Witnesses said that Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters at the crowds, causing several people to suffer from suffocation.
Al-Maasra
In al-Maasra village near Bethlehem, Palestinian protesters marched towards village lands that have been confiscated by Israeli authorities but were prevented by Israeli forces. Protesters raised Palestinian flags and posters of prisoners and chanted songs in support of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Since 2006, the residents of the village have protested on a weekly basis, demanding Israeli authorities return village lands confiscated in order to build the separation wall as it crosses through their town. In 2004, the International Court of Justice called on Israel to stop construction of the separation wall within the occupied West Bank. When completed, 85 percent of the wall will run inside the West Bank.
