Israeli soldiers kill 2 Palestinians in Qalandia refugee camp raid

Violence / Detentions — West Bank, Jerusalem

Army kills two Palestinians, injures 34 and demolishes a home in Qalandia
IMEMC 16 Nov by Saed Bannoura — Dozens of Israeli soldiers invaded, on Monday at dawn, the Qalandia refugee camp, north of occupied Jerusalem . . . The soldiers exchanged fire with armed resistance fighters during their invasion of the refugee camp, killing two Palestinians, identified as Laith Ashraf Manasra, 25, and Ahmad Abu al-‘Aish, 30 years of age. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the two slain Palestinians were transferred to the Palestine Medical Center. Army sharpshooters also occupied the rooftops of several homes in the refugee camp  and shot and injured 34 Palestinians with live rounds; some of the wounded suffered moderate to severe wounds. The soldiers fired several gas bombs at Palestinian medics and ambulances, and obstructed many medics trying to provide the needed aid to wounded Palestinians, detaining the ambulances for extended periods before finally allowing them through.
The army also demolished the second floor of a home belonging to the family of detainee Mohammad Abu Shahin, who is held by Israel for allegedly “participating in killing two Israeli settlers, and wounding three others”, in July of this year. Eyewitnesses said the soldiers invaded the camp while firing dozens of rounds of live ammunition, and advanced towards the home of Abu Shahin, before wiring the home and detonating explosives inside it.
The deaths of the two men makes the total number of Palestinians killed since October 1st eighty eight. Ten Israelis have been killed by Palestinians in the same time period. Over 3,000 Palestinians have been wounded, many of them seriously. More than 1300 Palestinians were shot by live ammunition during this time period, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
http://www.imemc.org/article/73871

Israeli army jeep rams 2-year-old child
IMEMC 16 Nov — Palestinian medical sources reported Sunday that a 2-year old toddler was injured after an Israeli military vehicle struck him in Bir Niabala town, northwest of occupied Jerusalem. One woman was also injured in a similar incident in Ramallah. The sources said the child, Adel Khader Shahin, 2, suffered injuries in his head and several parts of his body, before he was moved to the Palestine Medical Center in Ramallah. Also in Ramallah, a Palestinian woman suffered a fracture in her hand, and various cuts and bruises, also after being rammed with an Israeli military jeep on the main entrance of Sarda town, north of Ramallah. There have been dozens of incidents where Palestinians, including children, have been killed and wounded in ramming incidents involving both military vehicles and settlers’ cars in different parts of the occupied West Bank. One of those incidents is the case of Enas Dar Khalil, five years of age, who was killed in 2014, and the settler who killed her fled the scene. [from Ma‘an: Israeli military jeeps regularly patrol Palestinian roads through the occupied West Bank and are not subject to traffic regulations. There have been a number of cases where Palestinians have been hit by them — both intentionally and by accident.In one well-documented case in June, a military jeep crushed a Palestinian who the army alleges attempted to throw a Molotov cocktail at it. The Palestinian was left to bleed to death for three hours before the army allowed the jeep, which had flipped over, to be removed.More recently, video footage was widely circulated last month showing a military jeep purposefully ramming into a Palestinian man during clashes, before soldiers disembarked and detained him.]
http://www.imemc.org/article/73865

Thousands attend funerals of two Palestinians slain in clashes
[with photos] HEBRON (Ma‘an) 14 Nov — Thousands of Palestinians gathered in the Hebron and Ramallah districts of the occupied West Bank Saturday for separate funerals of Palestinians shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes. Near Hebron, mourners carried the body of Hassan Jihad al-Baw, 23, who was shot in the heart on Friday in the town of Halhul and killed immediately, medics told Ma‘an at the time. The 23-year-old was given a symbolic military funeral that departed from Hebron’s al-Ahli hospital. Palestinian security forces took part in the funeral as his body was carried to his family home in Halhul. Al-Baw’s relatives bid him a final goodbye before he was taken to Nabi Younis Mosque and then to the al-Shuhada cemetery where he was buried. Mourners demanded international protection and a response to “Israeli violations and executions against Palestinians,” while stores in Halhul were closed in mourning for al-Baw’s death upon request of the Fatah movement in Hebron. Clashes erupted after the funeral when Palestinian youths threw stones at an Israeli military checkpoint located at the southern entrance of Halhul, locals said. Israeli forces opened fire, injuring five demonstrators with live fire, Ramzi abu Yousif, the head of a health committee at the Halhul Medical Center told Ma‘an. Yousif added that the injured were transferred to a hospital in Hebron for medical treatment, where one was undergoing surgery after being shot in the pelvis.
Meanwhile in the Ramallah-area town of Budrus, mourners buried Lafi Yusif Awad, 22. Awad was shot and killed by Israeli forces during clashes in the town Friday after the Israeli army said he attempted to grab a soldier’s weapon.The funeral set off from the Ramallah Governmental Hospital and headed towards Budrus, around 30 kilometers away. Awad’s body was carried on the shoulders of relatives to his home and then to the village’s cemetery. Six Palestinians were injured by rubber-coated steel bullets when clashes erupted following the funeral. Dozens of Budrus residents fled to the Israeli separation wall, destroying a section of the concrete barrier that cuts across private land of residents, locals told Ma‘an. Israeli forces opened fire on residents while youths threw rocks and empty bottles, locals added.
Al-Baw and Awad were two of three Palestinians to die on Friday after being shot by Israeli military forces during clashes. Earlier on Friday Issa Shalaldah, 22, succumbed to injuries after being shot by Israeli forces during clashes that broke out in the village of Sa‘ir following the funeral of Abdullah Shalaldah, 28, who was killed by undercover while visiting his cousin in a hospital.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768824

Soldiers, paramilitary settlers attack family picking olives in their own orchard
IMEMC/Agencies 16 Nov — On Sunday, Israeli soldiers and paramilitary guards of an illegal Israeli colony invaded a Palestinian olive orchard in Beit Ummar town, north of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, attacked the family and forcibly removed them from their own land. Media spokesperson of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in Beit Ummar town, Mohammad Ayyad Awad, said paramilitary settlers of the Beit Ayin illegal colony, built on Palestinian lands, and Israeli soldiers, invaded an olive orchard before attacking and removing Hammad Abdul-Hamid Sleibi and his family from their land. The orchard is located in Wad Abu ar-Reesh, north of Beit Ummar, close to the illegal colony that was built on privately owned Palestinian lands. The security guards attacked the Palestinians and chased them while threatening to shoot them with their automatic rifles, while the soldiers fired gas bombs and concussion grenades on the family, forcing them out of their own olive orchard.
http://www.imemc.org/article/73869

Battlefields and the roots of conflict in Palestine
MEMO 13 Nov by Megan Hanna — IMAGES — Hiyam Mousa’s olive grove, which has been passed down through her family for generations, is under threat of being confiscated due to the construction of a bypass road connecting illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank to West Jerusalem. As we reached up through the gnarled branches to pick this year’s harvest, she told me, “Destroying the trees is eliminating the history of the Palestinians. The trees are now a symbol of resistance, of resilience. The olive tree is sacred, because it’s a blessed tree in the Qur’an, so having your olive trees destroyed is like having your heart ripped from your chest.” Since 2000, it is estimated that more than two million trees have been destroyed across the occupied Palestinian territories, whether through Israeli military operations, the building of settler roads, expansion of the settlements, or construction of the separation wall. Israeli organisation Kerem Navot released a report in September, which revealed that approximately one-third of West Bank land is inaccessible to Palestinians. Even on the land that is available, farmers also have to contend with burgeoning settler violence. On 1 November, for example, a group of settlers blocked access to olive pickers on the outskirts of Burin village where, a few weeks’ earlier, settlers from the Yitzhar settlement had burned dozens of acres of Palestinian agricultural land and attacked farmers with stones, injuring four. Unfortunately, such incidents are not uncommon. (Continued)
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/articles/middle-east/22254-battlefields-and-the-roots-of-conflict-in-palestine

Army injures eight Palestinians near Qalqilia
IMEMC 16 Nov — Eight Palestinians, including a cameraman working for France Press, have been injured on Sunday evening, after several Israeli military vehicles invaded the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia. The invasion led to clashes with dozens of local youths, who hurled stones and empty bottles at the military vehicles. The army fired rounds of live ammunition, gas bombs and rubber-coated steel bullets. Medical sources said eight Palestinians, including cameraman Ja‘far Eshteyya, were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets. The sources added that at least fourteen other Palestinians suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation, and received the needed treatment.
http://www.imemc.org/article/73868

Soldiers injure six Palestinians near Ramallah
IMEMC/Agencies 16 Nov — Palestinians medical sources have reported, Sunday, that six residents were injured by Israeli army fire after the soldiers invaded al-Baloa’ area in the al-Biereh city, leading to clashes with scores of local youths. The sources said two Palestinians were shot with live rounds by army sharpshooters, and four others were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets, and many suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation. The clashes erupted after several military vehicles invaded al-Baloa’, after dozens of residents held a protest close to the Beit El illegal colony. The army also attacked many Palestinian journalists, and tried to forcibly remove them from the area. Beit El is the location of a major military base and the head office of the so-called Civil Administration, run by the Israeli military occupation.
http://www.imemc.org/article/73866

Another Israeli attacked after being mistaken for a terrorist
Ynet 15 Nov by Ahiya Raved — A security guard at a police facility in Kiryat Ata was attacked by taxi passengers on Saturday who he claims suspected he was a terrorist. The guard, a Christian originally from Kafr Yasif in northern Israel who served in the IDF’s Kfir Brigade, was set upon in the center of Kiryat Ata as he was on his way to work after visiting his girlfriend. “A car was sitting in the middle of the road so I honked my horn and then got out of my car to see what was happening,” the security guard said. “A taxi driver passing by saw the crucifix [!] in my car and started shouting: ‘He’s an Arab terrorist.’ They then started beating me with everything they had: sticks, chains and knives,” he continued. “I shouted at them that I’m a police security guard but it didn’t help. They continued beating me on my head and my shoulders. All over my body,” the 23-year-old said. Investigators at Zevulun District Police held one of the suspects in the attack for questioning while Nahariya police collected the security guard’s testimony . . . “It’s just shocking what they did to him,” said the security guard’s mother. “Ten people thought he was a terrorist and fell on him with sticks and knives, wounding him on his head, his shoulders and all over his body.  “We’re in shock. He served in the military and everything,” the mother added.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4725708,00.html

Israeli border police brutally assault Black Hebrew
(with video) Tikun Olam 14 Nov by Richard Silverstein — An Israeli border Police officer brutally assaulted a Black Hebrew Israeli citizen at a security checkpoint in Eilat. The victim, Yair Israel and his wife Anat, were en route to a local hotel where he had planned a relaxing weekend celebrating his wife’s birthday. Israel is a well-known businessman in Dimona, where he runs a natural foods boutique, Otentivee (“Authentic Natural”), whose products are known by vegetarians throughout the country.  He’s been interviewed on a number of Israeli TV shows where he’s showcased his passion for natural and organic products. The brutal attack would’ve been just another anonymous, unseen incident of Israeli official racism had not Oded Zamora, an Israeli native who has lived in Maryland for the past 14 years, been in the car following Israel at the checkpoint. As he saw the attack unfold, Zamora bravely exited his own vehicle and asked officials why the attack was happening.  When no one responded he took out his cellphone and began videotaping.  He told the attacker that he was filming him. Unfortunately, this did nothing to abate the assault, which increased in ferocity. The entire incident began with a policeman asking Yair to present his ID.  He did so.  Then the policeman asked for his wife’s ID.  Though he found this unusual, he then presented his wife’s ID.  At this point, a Border Policeman who was sitting inside the security booth came on the scene and began shouting angrily at Yair: “What’s your problem?” Then the attack escalated . . . When asked by the reporter to explain why he understood Yair had been attacked, [Zamora] replied: “Because of the color of his skin.  I see no other reason this should happen to a young couple celebrating a birthday in Eilat.  Yair offered his ID.  He didn’t attack anyone.  He was inside his car the entire time.  I can’t even imagine how long it will take him to recover from this.” . . . (Continued)
http://www.richardsilverstein.com/2015/11/14/israeli-border-police-brutally-assault-black-hebrew/

Israeli army kidnaps five Palestinians in Hebron, invades a charitable society and dozens of homes
IMEMC/Agencies 16 Nov — Israeli soldiers conducted massive invasions and searches of homes and property, beginning in the late night hours on Sunday, and continuing through Monday at dawn, in different parts of the southern West Bank city of Hebron and nearby communities, and kidnapped five Palestinians. The soldiers invaded Beit Ola [or Bayt Awla] town and stormed the Islamic Charitable Society after smashing its main door. They ransacked the office, causing excessive damage before confiscating computers, documents and other equipment. Hatem al-Bakri, the head of the Society’s Administrative Board, said the group provides educational, social and medical services to more than 4000 orphans, and that the Society has been a target for the Israeli military for many years. “We have no political affiliation with any political party or group,” he said, “By targeting us, Israel is harming more than 4000 orphans, who could end up homeless if they lose our support.”. . .
The soldiers also searched dozens of homes in the Salaima, Jaber, Qeitoun, Tal’at Abu Hadeed, Tal’at at-Takroury and Jroun Jarad neighborhood. The soldiers took names and ID numbers, in addition to other information about the residents of the invaded homes.
In addition, the soldiers stormed the home of Ra‘ed Jaradat, who was killed by Israeli army fire on Monday, October 26th, and took measurements of the property, apparently in preparation to demolish it.
http://www.imemc.org/article/73872

Israeli forces detain 13 Palestinians in Hebron, including 6 minors
HEBRON (Ma‘an) 15 Nov – Israeli forces overnight Saturday detained 13 Palestinians, six of which were minors, from the Hebron area of the southern occupied West Bank and ransacked several homes during a mass detention raid, local sources said. An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed that six Palestinians had been detained in overnight raids from the Hebron area for “illegal activity,” without detailing specific areas, identities or ages. Locals reported at least six teenagers were detained. The teens were identified as Qusay al-Deik and Muhammad Riyad Hudoush, both 16 and from the town of Surif in northwest Hebron, as well as Ibrahim Ismail Manasra and Farid Muataz Zeidan, both 17, Sami Omar Manasrah and Ahmad Marwan al-Tariqa, all from the town of Bani Naim, east of Hebron. In addition, seven other young Palestinian men were detained from the Hebron district. Locals said Israeli forces detained Jihad Muhammad al-Akimi and Subhi Muhammad Masalmah from the western Hebron village of Beit ‘Awwa. During the raid, locals also reported that Israeli forces ransacked several homes.In the town of Beit Kahil, west of Hebron, Mahfouth Abdul-Majid Atawnah, a student at Hebron University, was detained from his home, locals said. In al-Fawwar refugee camp near Hebron City, Sami al-Janazrah and Sultan al-Amsi were detained from their homes, while Muhammad Abdul-Samee al-Jaabari was detained from the nearby al-Rama neighborhood of Hebron City.
The lockdown on the Hebron district that began overnight Friday has continued, although Israeli media reported Sunday that Israeli forces have detained several suspects in the shooting that killed two Israeli settlers near in Hebron earlier this week. Israeli forces closed roads and entrances leading into Hebron-area villages and towns and several military checkpoints were erected across the district.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768836

Shin Bet arrests suspect in West Bank shooting that killed Israeli father and son
Gili Cohen and JTA 15 Nov — The Shin Bet security service arrested over the weekend a suspect in the fatal shooting of Rabbi Ya’akov Litman and his son Netanel Friday, south of Hebron. The suspect in the attack near the settlement of Othniel has been identified as Shadi Ahmed Mataua, 28, a married father of two from Hebron. According to the Shin Bet, Mataua is associated with Islamic Jihad. His interrogation is still underway, the agency said. Mataua was arrested Saturday night at his home by members of the army’s special forces unit, Duvdevan, after his father informed the authorities that his son was the perpetrator of the attack. According to the Shin Bet, Shadi told his brother, Majdi, that he was the one who carried out the attack, in which Litman and his son were killed. The brother told the father, and the two decided to hand over Mataua to the authorities. The agency said the brother and the father were afraid that their house would be demolished as a result of the attack. The gun and vehicle used in the attack were also located during the suspect’s arrest. The suspect has reportedly implicated himself in the attack.
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.686132

Army kidnaps a young woman in Bethlehem, injures four Palestinians
IMEMC/Agencies 16 Nov — Israeli soldiers invaded, on Monday at dawn, the Deheishe refugee camp in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, kidnapped a young woman, and injured at least four young Palestinian men. The soldiers invaded the family home of Donia Ali Musleh, 19 years of age, and kidnapped her after violently searching and ransacking her home. The soldiers also stormed and ransacked a number of homes during the invasion, and interrogated several Palestinians while inspecting the ID cards. The invasion led to clashes between the soldiers and local youths, who hurled stones and empty bottles on them. The army fired “Tutu” hollow-point bullets wounding four young men, and withdrew taking the young woman to an unknown destination.
http://www.imemc.org/article/73870

Army kidnaps six Palestinians in Hebron, wounds seven
IMEMC/Agencies 15 Nov — Israeli soldiers kidnapped, late on Saturday at night, six Palestinians, including a father and his son, in Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank, and the nearby towns of Yatta and Halhoul. Seven Palestinians have been injured in ensuing clashes . . . Medical sources said seven Palestinians were shot with live army fire, and dozens suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation. . .
In related news, soldiers placed hand barriers, and concrete blocks, on all reads leading to Settlement Road #60, starting from southern Hebron city extending to Sa‘ir and Halhoul towns. Many Palestinian villages and towns in Hebron are now completely isolated and separated from each other, while the soldiers continue their home invasions and arrests.
http://www.imemc.org/article/73860

Palestinian killed, four Israelis injured in traffic accident
IMEMC/Agencies 14 Nov — After several media agencies dubbed the incident as a deliberate attack by a Palestinian driver, near Ramallah, the Israeli military said what happened in Jerusalem, leading to the death of the Palestinian driver and the injury of four Israelis, was a traffic accident. Israeli sources said one of the four wounded Israelis suffered moderate injuries, and the three other passengers suffered light injuries. The driver of the Palestinian car died of his wounds. Israeli Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said what happened was “a traffic accident in the area between Psagot and Kokhav Ya’akov settlements, leading to the death of a young Arab man and the injury of three Israelis.”  She added the police was investigating the accident, and what caused it, but it is “not a deliberate attack.”
In other news, the Israeli army said it was looking for a Palestinian vehicle that sped through a military roadblock, on Road #60 near the al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem. The soldiers invaded al-Khader looking for the car, but said that the driver was not involved in any attack, and that they are “just looking for him from crossing the roadblock without inspection.”
http://www.imemc.org/article/73857

Arrests and raiding residential houses
SILWAN, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) 15 Nov — Clashes broke out on Saturday night in the neighborhood of Wadi Al-Joz and the occupation forces raided the village of Esawyeh in Jerusalem. Wadi Hilweh Information Center was informed that the occupation forces heavily fired sound grenades and tear-gas canisters towards the residential houses in Wadi Al-Joz while young men responded with stones and firecrackers. The forces raided several residential houses in Silwan and fired sound grenades towards houses in “Hosh” Al-A’war [Al-‘Awar]. The center was informed that the forces raided the houses of Atallah Al-A’war, Fouad Al-A’war, Bilal Al-A’war and Ahmad Al-A’war. Young men threw molotov vocktails towards the settlers’ guards’ vehicle in the area “Maragha Road” in Silwan. In the neighborhood of Ras Al-Amoud in Silwan, young men threw molotov cocktails towards the checkpoint established at the entrance of the neighborhood a month ago which obstructs the movement and life of residents; the forces arrested the 17-year old Younes Maragha from the neighborhood. The occupation forces arrested the child Rubin Hijazi and the 40-year old Issa Abu Rayyaleh from the village of Esawyeh. Mousa Abu Rayyaleh explained that the occupation forces raided Abu Rayyaleh neighborhood in the village and fired a sound grenade in front of the family’s building concurrently with the presence of children in the area. When his brother Issa objected to the forces’ actions, they raided the building and searched the apartments and also arrested Issa and transferred him to Salah Eddin Street police station. The forces also arrested on Saturday afternoon the 17-year old Omar Qantawi from the village of Al-Tur.
http://silwanic.net/?p=65129

Does the Israeli army plant knives on Palestinians? / Amira Hass
Haaretz 16 Nov — A former Japanese policeman now visiting Israel said, “I don’t understand. In our country, if someone stabs a policeman, we grab him by the hand and arrest him. We don’t kill him. Why is it different in Israel?” How should we respond? By saying that in our country, soldiers and policemen are instructed to kill a Palestinian holding a knife two meters from them, or a knife in his bag, or something that is assumed to be a knife in his pocket? . . . The Haaretz website similarly described a stabbing attack in Jerusalem last Tuesday as a break in the relative quiet. But in Jerusalem it is never quiet; every night policemen burst into homes and arrest children and teens, patrol neighborhoods and terrorize people. And that’s besides the killing of demonstrators and the bureaucratic violence of home demolitions and revocation of residency status. So long as we don’t get that the occupation is one continuous terror attack, we won’t know how to end the attacks on Israelis. It was written that on October 17, Bayan Osileh, 16, approached the checkpoint at the Ashmoret Yitzhak Border Police base “near the Cave of the Patriarchs.” Wrong. She arrived at the checkpoint that cuts off her neighborhood from the rest of Hebron. Israeli media always describe the site of an incident as military and Israeli. For example, they say Checkpoint 160 and the Zion route, and never the A-Salaimeh neighborhood and Wadi al-Hussein. That’s how tens of thousands of people whose homes and childhoods are there are made to vanish, while the Israeli mindset sees the erasure of Palestinians from their city as self-evident . . . No volunteers actually saw the shooting of Hummam Is’aid on October 27, they just heard the shots. A volunteer looked out the window of her apartment and saw the body surrounded by soldiers and settlers. She didn’t see a knife. She moved away from the window for a second, and when she returned, there was a knife, she said. Are soldiers planting knives after the fact, as the Palestinians believe? To the Israeli ear that sounds far-fetched, even an illegitimate question. But let’s ask: Have soldiers and policemen never lied to justify the unjustified arrest or shooting or killing of Palestinians? Israelis find it hard to believe that our soldiers and commanders could lie, until it’s proven otherwise by security cameras or still pictures of which the soldiers weren’t aware.
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.686280

Restrictions on movement

Checkpoints and barriers restrict Palestinian medical services in Jerusalem
Palestine Monitor 11 Nov by Amy Mac — Mahmoud Elayan, the director general for Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), looks tired as he sits behind his desk at PRCS’ medical center in occupied East Jerusalem. He had to be up at five in the morning to make it to the hospital in time for work. “I live ten minutes from here,” he says. “But now it takes an hour to reach my home because of the checkpoints.” Elayan’s job is taxing at the best of times, but the last few weeks have presented additional challenges: Israeli forces have seriously hindered the provision of medical care to Palestinians in East Jerusalem, stopping ambulances at checkpoints, harassing medics and violating patient privacy. The restrictions come following an announcement by  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Oct. 14   authorising Israeli police to close or surround areas in East Jerusalem that pose a security threat. “After Oct. 14, everything’s getting worse. This is the first time Israel are doing this. Before they would only put temporary barriers in Jerusalem. But this time it is permanent,” said Elayan. According to the UN monitoring group OCHA, Israel has placed 38 obstacles on East Jerusalem roads, including 16 checkpoints, directly affecting nine Palestinian neighborhoods with a combined population of 138,000 . . . In a medical emergency, these delays can mean the difference between life and death. According to Elayan, since the barriers were put in place, two Palestinians from East Jerusalem have died after the ambulances responding to their cases were delayed at a checkpoint . . . Alongside the restrictions placed upon paramedics and ambulances in the field, Palestinians in need of medical treatment have struggled to gain access to the hospitals in East Jerusalem. According to Elayan, earlier this week two pregnant Palestinian women in labour were forced to abandon their car and walk to the PRCS hospital after being prevented from going through the barrier by car. (Continued)
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/details.php?id=giwopga11811ydj1ecwsfc

Prisoners / Court actions

Israel extends detention of Palestinian detained in hospital raid
JERUSALEM (Ma‘an) 15 Nov — An Israeli court on Sunday extended the detention of a Palestinian who was apprehended by Israeli forces during a deadly raid into a Hebron hospital last week, a lawyer for the Palestinian Authority Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs said. Lawyer Karim Aiwa said that the court had extended the detention of Azzam Shalaldah, 20, by another five days in order for Israeli authorities to continue their investigation. Aiwa said that Shalaldah had been unable to appear in court due to his health. He said he had visited Shalaldah in Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem, and that he was now in a light and stable condition, but his hands and feet were cuffed to the hospital bed.
Toward the end of October, Shalaldah was shot and wounded by an Israeli settler in unclear circumstances outside the Hebron village of Sa‘ir. The settler alleged that Shaladah had stabbed him, and an Israeli hospital spokesperson later confirmed that the settler appeared to have been a light stab wound on his chest. However, witnesses said that Shaladah was only a bystander and the actual attacker fled into Sa‘ir. An Israeli army spokesperson said at the time that “the assailant fled from the scene,” and she had no information of any Palestinians being shot. Shalaldah was afterward moved to al-Ahli hospital in Hebron city for treatment, but last week, up to 20 undercover Israeli forces stormed the hospital in order to detain him. During the raid, they shot and killed Shalaldah’s 28-year-old cousin, Abdullah Shalaldah. An Israeli army spokesperson said that Abdullah attempted to “attack” the soldiers, although witnesses said he was shot the moment he came out of a bathroom adjoining his cousin’s room.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768843

Gaza

Shot for flying a flag in Gaza
EI 15 Nov by Charlotte Silver — For the past six weeks, the boundary between Gaza and Israel has been a deadly place for Palestinians. Israeli forces killed at least 16 Palestinians during protests in that area between 1 October and 6 November. Israel’s violence did not deter 22-year-old Muhammad al-Bhaisy from joining a demonstration at the boundary on 6 November. Accompanied by his friend Sharif Mousa, he brought along a large Palestinian flag. On the way to the protest from his home in the Deir al-Balah refugee camp, Muhammad found a stick on the street, to which he fastened the flag. Hundreds of young Palestinians took part in the protest at the boundary that day. As Muhammad and Sharif arrived, they could see that Israeli soldiers had already begun firing tear gas and bullets. After approximately 20 minutes, Muhammad suddenly ran towards the boundary fence, near al-Bureij, another refugee camp in Gaza. Sharif tried to hold his friend back. But he couldn’t. A video of the incident has been uploaded to Facebook. It shows Israeli soldiers opening fire towards Muhammad as he runs. They do not hit him, at first. Then Muhammad arrives at the boundary fence and mounts his flag upon it. At that moment, he is shot. Muhammad falls to the ground, but then raises an arm to let people know he is still alive. When several other young men rush to try and rescue him, Israeli soldiers fire on them, forcing them to retreat. Finally, another group manages to run to Muhammad and carry him away. All the while, Israeli soldiers continue firing on them as they run away from the fence. – Blood loss – “They wanted to let him bleed to death, like they have done [to Palestinians shot] in the West Bank and in Jerusalem,” Sharif told The Electronic Intifada. A single bullet had struck Muhammad in the back of the right knee. By the time he was brought to al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, he had already lost a huge amount of blood . . . Muhammad is now in critical condition at Barzilai, a hospital in Askalan (Ashkelon), a city in present-day Israel. – Proud – It took two days before Israel granted permission for him to be transferred there. The wait proved agonizing for his family. They were worried that Muhammad would die. His mother, Sumaiya, said she didn’t know that Muhammad had gone to the protest. His brother, Amer, said, “We were all surprised by Muhammad’s action. We were all very proud.” Awadallah, Muhammad’s shocked father, could barely find the words to describe his son. But he said Muhammad is kind, brave and strong, and that he wanted something to change. Muhammad’s cousin, Khalil, said that Muhammad ran toward the fence even though he knew it could cost him his life. He carried out his act of defiance “because of the terrible life here.” “There’s no work, no money and no way out,” Khalil said.(Continued
https://electronicintifada.net/content/shot-flying-flag-gaza/15002

Israeli forces shoot, injure 2 Palestinian fishermen off Gaza coast
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 16 Nov — Israeli forces shot and injured two Palestinian fishermen off the coast of the Gaza Strip on Monday, witnesses said. Locals said the fishermen sustained moderate injuries after being targeted off the coast near Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza by Israeli naval forces. An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma‘an that three fishing boats deviated from the designated fishing area and Israeli forces fired warning shots in the air, with no reports of injuries.
Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on Palestinian fishermen and farmers since the ceasefire agreement signed Aug. 26, 2014 that ended a devastating 50-day Israeli military offensive against the Gaza Strip. At least three Palestinian fishermen have been shot dead by Israeli forces since last September. On Nov. 5, Egyptian military forces shot and killed a Palestinian fisherman off the coast of the southern Gaza Strip.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768846

Israeli forces detain Gazan at Erez crossing
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 15 Nov — Israeli forces on Sunday detained a Palestinian man at the Erez crossing as he was attempting to leave the Gaza Strip for medical treatment in the occupied West Bank, locals said. The man, identified as 30-year-old Ahmad Abed Rabbo from Jabalia in northern Gaza, was stopped by Israeli soldiers at the border crossing and taken into custody. He was reportedly traveling with his sister, who was detained for several hours before being released on the Gazan side of the border.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768840

57 Palestinians from Gaza visit relatives jailed in Israel
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 16 Nov — Some 57 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip visited family members being held in an Israeli jail on Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said. ICRC spokesperson Suheir Zaqur told Ma‘an that the group, including nine children, left the besieged coastal enclave via the Erez crossing to visit 36 relatives held in Israel’s Rimon prison.
The ICRC “Family Visits Program” for Gazans was suspended by Israeli authorities in June 2007 when Hamas won Palestinian elections. All communication between Gazan prisoners and the outside world was effectively cut off, according to prisoners’ rights group Addameer. During a Palestinian prisoners’ hunger strike in April 2012, one of the prisoners’ key demands was that the program be reinstated. Israel agreed to resume the visits on the conclusion of the hunger strike, although Addameer has reported that many Gaza prisoners in Israel have not been allowed to receive visitors. More than 350 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip were being jailed in Israel as of October, according to Addameer.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768848

200 Palestinians from Gaza pray at the al-Aqsa Mosque
GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 13 Nov — Dozens of Palestinians from Gaza prayed at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound early Friday as part of a weekly visit to the holy site. The Palestinian liaison office said 200 worshipers over the age of 60 left Gaza via the Erez crossing to travel to East Jerusalem. Weekly access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque by [older] Gazans has become routine since October 2014 when some 500 Palestinians from Gaza prayed at the mosque for the first time since 2007, having been prevented by Israel from traveling to East Jerusalem since that time.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768795

Gaza resident who broke through border fence charged with acting against state security
Haaretz 15 Nov by Almog Ben Zikri — A 23- year-old Gaza resident, Mahmed Abu Huza, was charged in Be’er Sheva District Court on Friday with ties to Hamas and a series of offenses against the security of the state, after allegedly joining the Islamist group last summer, collecting intelligence on Israeli troop movements and breaching the security fence. Abu Huza was posted as a lookout in the Al-Bureij area of the strip, where he watched Israeli troops across the border for Hamas, according to the charges. He was arrested about a month ago while attempting to cross the border fence and was taken in for questioning. He joined the ranks of Hamas during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan after approaching the chief Hamas official in the Al-Bureij area, and was sent to a training course that included weapons training and target shooting, it is alleged. After completing his basic training, he began his service as a watchman armed with a Kalashnikov, and was told to shoot and kill any Israeli troops approaching the border, according to the indictment, in addition to gathering information on the presence of troops. The criminal charges against Abu Huza include contact with a foreign agent, conspiracy to commit a crime, illegal military training activity with a prohibited organization, infiltration and intelligence gathering, among other offenses.
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.686258

Hamas militant dies in Gaza after ‘accidental explosion’
AFP 15 Nov — A Palestinian affiliated with Hamas died on Sunday after apparently blowing himself up by accident in unclear circumstances, medical and security sources said. The body of 25-year-old Amir Hamad al-Zaharani was brought to the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City early on Sunday after an apparent explosion, a medical source said. Three others wounded by shrapnel were being treated, he added. The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Islamist movement Hamas which controls the Gaza Strip, confirmed in a statement that Zaharani was a member. The group said Zaharani, who came from Sheikh Radwan in northern Gaza, died “as a result of an error with a weapon”. A security source in Gaza told AFP that according to preliminary information the death was caused by an “accidental explosion” of a rocket-propelled grenade.
https://in.news.yahoo.com/hamas-militant-dies-gaza-accidental-101143956.html

Gaza’s unemployment rate climbs to 42.7%
Gisha 12 Nov — A report issued by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics indicates that Gaza’s unemployment rate went up to 42.7% (201,900 individuals) in the third quarter of 2015, compared to 41.5% in the previous quarter. . . . Unemployment among young people in Gaza (ages 15 to 29) stands at 59.7%, compared to 58% in the second quarter of 2015. The unemployment rate among young women participating in the workforce is 82.6%; among young men, it is 52.8%. Of the people who do work in Gaza, 77.3% are salaried employees and 14.4% are self-employed. Only 3.8% are business owners, and 4.5% work for a family business without pay. Gaza’s service sector accounts for 55.7% of Gaza’s workers. The trade, restaurant and hotel sectors employ 20.7% of the workers. . . .
http://gisha.org/updates/4713

Other news / Opinion

Weekly report on Israeli human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territory (5-11 Nov)
PCHR-Gaza 12 Nov — Israeli forces have escalated the use of excessive force against peaceful protests in the oPt. 7 Palestinian civilians, including a child and 2 women; one of whom is elderly, were killed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. 124 Palestinian civilians, including 49 children, were wounded in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israeli forces conducted 57 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and a limited one, south of the Gaza Strip. 118 Palestinian civilians, including 26 children and a woman, were arrested. 27 of them, including 17 children and 2 women, were arrested in occupied Jerusalem. [Full report, including details]
http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11352

Ramallah factions plan two days of increased demonstrations
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 15 Nov — Nationalistic and Islamic factions in Ramallah called on Saturday for increasing resistance methods against the Israeli occupation “by all available means” at two upcoming days of planned demonstrations. The factions called upon Palestinians to take to the streets on Nov. 16 to commemorate the 27th anniversary of the signing of the symbolic Palestinian Declaration Independence, written by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish in 1988. The demonstration, planned to start at Ramallah’s famous al-Manara circle at 12 p.m., will march towards the illegal Israeli settlement of Beit El. Later in the week, on Nov. 20, a day for “field escalations” has been called to take place in areas of the occupied Palestinian Territory that have seen frequent upheaval and clashes. One of the main marches on the 20th will set off from well-known Hamzeh mosque in Ramallah and proceed towards the illegal Beit El settlement.
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768831

WATCH: Omitting the Palestinian history of Israel’s heritage
Israeli Social TV 15 Nov — In 2014 UNESCO declared Beit Guvrin and its Caves of Maresha, one of the most important places in the Kingdom of Judah during the time of the First Temple, World Heritage Site. UNESCO notes every era tied to the site including the Persian, Hellenic, Roman, Byzantine etc. However, the rich history of Palestinian life that existed at Beit Guvrin is completely omitted from UNESCO’s description.
http://972mag.com/watch-omitting-the-palestinian-history-of-israels-heritage/113836/

Ethiopian aliya to resume after two-year hiatus
JPost 16 Nov by Sam Sokol — 9,000 waiting in Addis Ababa and Gondar, MK Naguise: This is a ‘great day for the Jewish people’  — The cabinet on Sunday unanimously approved an Interior Ministry proposal to resume aliya from Ethiopia, which was suspended in 2013. Around 9,000 people have been waiting in Addis Ababa and Gondar transit camps for the past several years in the hopes of making their way to the Jewish state. However, Jerusalem closed its doors in 2013 following a ceremony at Ben-Gurion Airport at which officials declared the “end” of Ethiopian aliya. The fate of the prospective immigrants has been a matter of some debate, with Ethiopian-Israeli activists protesting what they saw as the breaking up of families . . . According to Sunday’s cabinet decision, any Ethiopian who moved to Gondar or Addis Ababa after January 2013, is willing to convert to Judaism and has relatives here who can apply for his acceptance, will be eligible to move. “The main criteria to receive an entry permit to Israel, in accordance with the decisions of the previous governments, were that [the olim] are descended from Ethiopian Jews on their mothers’ side, and that they appear on one of the lists attached to the government decisions in question. Upon completing these government decisions, it turns out that many families from the Ethiopian community were split up. Some members are in Israel, while others remain in Ethiopia,” a copy of the proposal leaked to the press last week explained. (Continued)
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Ethiopian-aliya-to-resume-after-two-year-hiatus-433185

Palestinian leadership in solidarity with France after deadly attacks
RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 14 Nov — Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas on Friday expressed his solidarity and sympathy with France in a statement after a series of attacks left over 120 dead in Paris. Abbas said he stood by the French government and citizens in the face of “terrorism,” adding that the international community was responsible for confronting “terrorist actions.” Palestinian PM Rami Hamdallah also presented condolences to the families of victims, to France, its government, and citizens. Hamdallah said such attacks contradict all religions and humanitarian values, and stressed a longstanding relationship between Palestinians and France. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs meanwhile expressed its shock at the “heinous crime” and extended its solidarity with France in the “just war against terrorism.” Jamal Nazzal, a spokesperson for the Fatah movement in Europe said that the movement also “condemned the terrorist act.”
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768823

Mishaal phones Lebanese leaders, hails their awareness
DOHA (PIC) 14 Nov — Head of Hamas’s political bureau Khaled Mishaal has hailed the Lebanese political leaders for their keenness on not giving any party a chance to sow the seeds of discord among the two peoples in Lebanon and Palestine. This came in a press release issued by the Hamas Movement on Friday after Mishaal conducted a number of phone calls with Lebanese premier Tammam Salam, speaker of the parliament Nabih Berri and Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah. Mishaal has offered, on behalf of the Movement, his sincere condolences to the Lebanese leaders over the death of many Lebanese civilians during terrorist attacks in southern Beirut last Thursday. The Hamas official also expressed over the phone his strong condemnation of the deadly attacks and his hope to see Lebanon stable and safe all the time. Two suicide bombers on motorcycles on Thursday killed at least 43 people and wounded more than 200 others in Burj el-Barajneh area of southern Beirut.
http://english.palinfo.com/site/pages/details.aspx?itemid=74890

Palestinian groups Hamas, Islamic Jihad condemn Paris attacks
Occupied Jerusalem (AFP) 14 Nov — Two Palestinian Islamist groups on Saturday condemned the Paris attacks that killed at least 128 people, officials in both organizations said. Senior figures in both Hamas, considered by the U.S. and EU to be a “terrorist” group, and Islamic Jihad expressed indignation at the killings that rocked the French capital late Friday. Dr Bassem Naim, head of the Council of International Relations for Hamas, told AFP the group condemned “the acts of aggression and barbarity”, while Islamic Jihad condemned “a crime against innocents”.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb//News/World/2015/Nov-14/323050-palestinian-groups-hamas-islamic-jihad-condemn-paris-attacks.ashx

Israeli leaders liken Paris attacks to Palestinian violence
BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 15 Nov — Israeli politicians on Saturday compared a series of deadly attacks in Paris that left at least 129 civilians dead to Palestinian acts of violence. Extending his sympathy to the families of the victims, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel “stands shoulder-to-shoulder with France in this common battle against militant Islamic terrorism.” He added that “innocent people in Paris, like those in London, Madrid, Mumbai, Buenos Aires and Jerusalem, are the victims of militant Islamic terrorism, not its cause.” “As I’ve said for many years, militant Islamic terrorism attacks our societies because it wants to destroy our civilization and our values.” The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the deadly Paris attacks, which were carried out in multiple locations across the French capital.
Israel’s Culture Minister Miri Regev used the attacks to criticize the European Union for removing Hamas from its list of terrorist organizations in December last year, while she praised France for fighting the decision. “France didn’t know that in less than a year it would bleed and hurt as we do from the day we were founded, but it apparently did know that the threat of Muslim terror is not only on Israel, but on the whole world,” Israeli daily the Jerusalem Post quoted her. She reportedly said that the victims in Paris had not died in vain, as the world would continue to fight radical Islam, adding: “Israel is not the problem in the Middle East, it is the solution.” (Continued)
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=768835

Far-right settler rabbi: Paris attacks are payback for the Holocaust
JPost 15 Nov — A religious Zionist cleric from a Jewish settlement on the West Bank told mourners on Saturday during the funeral of an Israeli father and son gunned down by Palestinian terrorists that the attacks in Paris were deserved due to what Europeans “did to our people 70 years ago.” The quote from Dov Lior, the chief rabbi of the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba, was first reported by the Walla! news agency. “The wicked ones in blood-soaked Europe deserve it for what they did to our people 70 years ago,” Lior said. The controversial rabbi once wrote an approbation for a book called The King’s Torah that was co-written in 2009 by radical settler figure Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira, which permitted killing civilian non-Jews in times of war. He was summoned by police for questioning on grounds of incitement to violence but refused to report for questioning, saying the Torah was not open to police investigation. He was subsequently arrested and brought for questioning but no charges were made. Last year, Lior published a letter saying that Jewish law permits destroying the entire Gaza Strip to bring peace to the south of the country.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Far-right-settler-rabbi-Paris-attacks-are-payback-for-the-Holocaust-433084

Before the Israeli right rejoices over Paris / Gideon Levy
Haaretz 16 Nov — The Israeli right will say: We told you so. That is how the Palestinians are, that is how the Muslims are – bloodthirsty animals. The conclusion: There is no partner. This is of course a propagandist house of cards — Just before the right in Israel begins to celebrate, we must tell them: There is no connection whatsoever between the child with a knife from Hebron and the French Muslim with a suicide bomb in Paris. Just before the right in France and all of Europe starts to celebrate, we must tell them: Don’t you dance on the blood as well. The nationalism, hatred of foreigners, racism, deportation of refugees, isolationism and the war against Islam — your magic solutions will not solve anything. The rejoicing calls of “we told you so” from Israel and the European right are already being sounded loudly. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Marine Le Pen are once again those who are profiting the most from the terror. We must not fall into their trap. The Israeli right will say: We told you so. That is how the Palestinians are, that is how the Arabs are, and that is how the Muslims are – bloodthirsty animals. The conclusion: There is no partner. We will forever live by our swords. Now Europe is experiencing what we have been experiencing for years. Now Europe will take steps toward a war on terror — the same steps which it condemned when we took them. Now Europe may leave us alone; after all we have a common enemy. Let’s see them labeling products now, let’s see it condemning the settlements. Our daring raids on the al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron and the primary school in Silwan in Jerusalem are part of the war of civilizations which the West is fighting, and which Israel is so proud to belong to. Whoever does not invade al-Ahli is not fighting terror. Whoever does not shoot a young woman holding a knife at a checkpoint gets Paris. The law for Ahmed Manasra (the 13-year-old Palestinian boy who stabbed an Israeli boy) is the same law as that for Jihadi John. Hamas is the Islamic State organization and the same goes for Hezbollah, Mahmoud Abbas, (Islamic Movement leader) Sheikh Ra’ad Salah, Joint List Members of Knesset Ayman Odeh and Ahmad Tibi —and all of them are ISIS, all the Arabs. (Continued)
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.686074

With Paris attacks, ISIS may have signed a death warrant for Syrian refugees
Haaretz 16 Nov by Ilene Prusher — When a 3-year-old Syrian Kurdish boy’s body washed up on a beach in September, killed after the flimsy boat he and his family were in capsized off the coast of Turkey long before they could make it to European shores, average people everywhere stopped and took notice of the long-ignored Syrian refugee problem. Here in the United States in particular, where it’s easy to ignore the rest of the world and concern oneself (if at all) with problems closer to home, the image of Aylan Kurdi’s limp body drove home the plight of Syrians trying to escape the carnage in their country. Under criticism that the U.S. was hardly throwing open its doors to those desperate to escape, President Barack Obama pledged within a week of Kurdi’s death that America would take in another 10,000 Syrian refugees over the next year – his last in office.  Given the enormous size and resources of the United States, Europeans and U.S. advocates for more immigration snickered at that number, and later that month, Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States would accept 85,000 refugees from around the world next year, up from 70,000, and that total would rise to 100,000 in 2017. But ISIS just signed the death warrant of more Syrian children like Kurdi in the course of its Friday assault on Paris – not that they would be concerned. The key news is that one of eight attackers was a Syrian-passport holder who arrived in Greece on Oct. 3 on a boat from Turkey, and then was registered as seeking asylum in Serbia on Oct. 7, according to various reports  . . . What’s more important is that he is quickly becoming the example that conservatives in Europe and Republicans in the U.S. were seeking as proof of why a more liberal immigration policy is a mistake – lest you want all of your music and sports venues to be turned into the Bataclan and Stade de France, the sites of some Friday’s deadliest attacks.  Almost all of the leading Republican candidates slammed Obama’s plans to bring in more refugees, particularly from Syria. (Continued)
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.686299

Netanyahu’s transfer plan is met with silent complicity
Haokets 14 Nov by Yehudit Oppenheimer — The prime minister’s proposal to revoke the residency status of 100,000 East Jerusalemites sends an unequivocal message to all Arabs living under Israeli rule: your rights are rooted in our good will alone, and conditionally so. The silence of Israel’s ‘democratic’ camp is deafening — Israel’s self-ordained “democratic” camp silently accepted Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to revoke the permanent residency status of 100,000 Palestinians who live in those East Jerusalem neighborhoods that lie beyond the separation barrier last month. Even if Netanyahu’s proposal is never actualized, it is impossible to ignore its significance even as a proposal: the prime minister of Israel is advocating the mass transfer of Palestinians from Jerusalem and the center-left political parties in the opposition did not offer up even the faintest whisper of protest. One might conclude that Netanyahu expressed in more explicit terms an idea that the center-left shares, but which it generally couches in more palatable language. (Continued)
http://972mag.com/netanyahus-transfer-plan-is-met-with-silent-complicity/113894/

Inside Hebron’s pressure cooker: the West Bank’s most troubled city
The Guardian 14 Nov by Peter Beaumont — The flat roofs and streets are spread out below the Hebron observatory – on a hill above the southern West Bank city’s old town. Today a group of mainly American tourists has up come to see the view from the observatory, run by Jewish settlers, some hundreds of whom live protected by the Israeli army in the section of the city below known as H2. They watch enthralled as a pair of Israeli soldiers stroll across one of the roofs to take up a firing position. Two hundred metres away, and on a higher roof, three Palestinians youths are also visible busy throwing stones with their slingshots at the nearby Israeli checkpoint at the end of al-Shuhada street. Smoke billows from tyres burning in the market. The sound of stun grenades echoes through the lanes. Teenagers flit among the smoke amid the crack of the firing of plastic-coated rounds. In the West Bank’s most troubled city and its peripheral villages, these choreographed and familiar clashes are a part of a cycle of violence becoming ever more dangerous. It is a cycle that has seen Palestinian stabbings and shootings of soldiers and settlers in the recent upsurge of violence that began in early October. On the other side, Israeli soldiers and police and settlers have shot dead young Palestinians, some of them involved in attacks, others at clashes. The figures make for stark reading. Between 3 October and 9 November, 70 Palestinians are alleged to have carried out stabbing or car-ramming terror attacks, either in the West Bank or Israel. Forty-three were killed, 24 of whom were residents of Hebron district – 18 lived in the city itself. All of which led some Israeli media last month to dub Hebron “the capital of intifada”. In the last week or so, the sense of escalation has only grown as Israeli undercover troops and men from the Israeli domestic security agency raided a hospital in the city, shooting dead a relative of a wanted Hamas member on a busy ward. A day later, a little south of the city, a 40-year-old Israeli man and his 18-year-old son were shot and killed in an ambush on their car on route 60, the main road south – the second shooting in a week. All of which leads to the questions: why Hebron and why now? The reality is that the city, home to the Ibrahimi mosque and the Tomb of the Patriarchs – which share the same site – has become both microcosm and metaphor for the violence of the past month and more . . .
Below the observatory, surrounded by Israeli soldiers, sits the house of Hani Abu Haikal. The Observer had met him a week before as he sold coffee in the market near the border with H1 – the much larger Palestinian-controlled part of the city. His life, in recent weeks, has become more difficult. His family is one of the last to remain in the settler-dominated area of Tel Rumeida. In the wider area of H2, residents have been asked in recent weeks to register their names with the Israeli military. “There doesn’t seem to be a limit now on who is being shot and we’re scared for the children,” he says. “I sent them away 20 days ago to in-laws in H1.” His comments reflect the conflicting narratives in Hebron – Israeli and Palestinian. On the Palestinian side, it says that many who have been killed since violence broke out have been unarmed. On the settlers’ side, the narrative has it that the uprising is “a jihad” in common with that waged by Isis, divorced from a Palestinian context and driven by incitement, a claim rejected even by Israel’s own domestic intelligence agency, the Shin Bet. (Continued)
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/14/hebron-west-bank-troubled-city-palestine-israel

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