17 june 2015
A still made by Israeli publication Mako highlights the unarmed Palestinian targeted by an Israeli sniper.
“Got it! Wow, got it. Got video, too!”
This is what the voice on this video is heard exclaiming just after a sniper fires a shot toward an unarmed Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank village of Silwad.
The video shows a person in the distance, apparently standing still and not involved in any kind of confrontation, falling to the ground as soon as the shot is fired.
The Israeli publication Mako says that the soldiers in the video appear to be from the Netzah Yehuda battalion, the same Kfir brigade unit whose members were caught on video brutally beating a Palestinian man from Jalazone refugee camp last week.
Gratuitous violence
The Israeli army spokesperson justified the shooting, claiming, according to Mako: “The film shows sniper fire toward the lower body of a central inciter in a violent and illegal disruption of the peace, which occurred in the village of Silwad, northeast of Ramallah. The shooting was done with permission by the sector commanders after the suspect threw an incendiary device and stones at the forces on the spot.”
But Mako says:
However, as can be seen in the film, the wounded Palestinian man has no incendiary device in his hand, no such device fell out of his hand when he was hurt, and he is not seen walking, running, or threatening the soldiers in the field. According to the colonel with whom we discussed this, a very experienced infantry officer, “the target is not threatening the forces in the field in a manner that requires operating the sniper, not according to military procedures.”
The unnamed colonel to whom Mako showed the video adds: “It is customary to put snipers at controlling points and they have a very specific role: to locate and destroy an armed person who threatens the forces, if such a person appears among the demonstrators, or take out of commission a demonstrator who presents a clear threat and endangers the life of forces in the field … unfortunately, it does not look like that is the situation in the film in question.”
In other words, even by the standards of the occupying forces, this shooting was a gratuitous act of violence.
Embarrassing Mako – and the officer it interviewed – seem more concerned however with the public relations damage the video could do, rather than the rights of Palestinians under occupation.
The colonel criticizes the filming style “which is more appropriate for Hamas terrorists or Syrian rebels than for an army like the IDF.”
“The trickling of such materials to the Internet is especially serious,” the colonel adds. “In this way you can see how the force operates, they’re exposing themselves to legal problems, and what they don’t understand is that this could get the whole country in hot water. Damage at a global level. It’s just stupidity.”
The colonel notes that the video “has started gaining speed over the last few hours and it looks like it has already started being published on foreign sites.”
He worries that it could hit world news programs “and then the party will begin.”
Who is the victim? It is impossible to tell from the video the identity of the victim of the sniper attack.
According to Mako, the video “was apparently shot last Thursday, during a demonstration in the village of Silwad.”
However local media have not reported incidents on Thursday. Typically, Palestinians in the village hold weekly demonstrations against the occupation on Fridays.
The Palestinian news agency WAFA reports that on Friday, two Palestinians in the village were injured by occupation forces who “raided several homes in the town, forced residents out and took over their rooftops, turning them into military outposts to target residents.”
According to the report, one youth was shot and injured and another was hit by a stun grenade.
During confrontrations in the village on 5 June, the 48th anniversary of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, occupation forces injured three Palestinians with live ammunition in Silwad.
All three, one a child of 13, sustained bullet wounds to their legs, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.
Given that the people of Silwad are the constant targets of occupation forces and the settlers they protect, there has been no shortage of opportunities for the kind of violence depicted in the video.
Resisting land theft The presence of occupation forces in the area has nothing to do with any legitimate Israeli “security” concern but with protecting and promoting the theft of Palestinian land by and for settlers, in violation of international law.
Silwad villagers have seen much of their land stolen by Israeli colonists and have lived for years under severe movement restrictions by the occupation forces.
The settlement of Ofra, established in the mid-1970s, was built on lands seized from Silwad and the nearby village of Ein Yabroud.
According to the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, the “built-up area of Ofra lies on land that is registered in the Land Registry under the names of Palestinians from the villages of Ein Yabrud and Silwad.”
“The existence of Ofra is responsible for extensive violations of the human rights of Palestinians living in the area,” B’Tselem adds.
More recently settlers from Ofra have stolen even more Silwad village land to build the “Amona” outpost, an act legitimized by Israeli authorities.
Ultra-Orthodox What is notable about Netzah Yehuda is that it is a recently formed Haredi or Ultra-Orthodox unit. Haredi leaders have strongly opposed a recent law requiring young men from the community, who had been exempt since the founding of Israel, to enter the army for the first time.
The video is therefore being approvingly circulated on some websites to show that Haredi men are capable of being just as ruthless as other enforcers of the occupation.
Dena Shunra contributed research and Hebrew translation.
“Got it! Wow, got it. Got video, too!”
This is what the voice on this video is heard exclaiming just after a sniper fires a shot toward an unarmed Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank village of Silwad.
The video shows a person in the distance, apparently standing still and not involved in any kind of confrontation, falling to the ground as soon as the shot is fired.
The Israeli publication Mako says that the soldiers in the video appear to be from the Netzah Yehuda battalion, the same Kfir brigade unit whose members were caught on video brutally beating a Palestinian man from Jalazone refugee camp last week.
Gratuitous violence
The Israeli army spokesperson justified the shooting, claiming, according to Mako: “The film shows sniper fire toward the lower body of a central inciter in a violent and illegal disruption of the peace, which occurred in the village of Silwad, northeast of Ramallah. The shooting was done with permission by the sector commanders after the suspect threw an incendiary device and stones at the forces on the spot.”
But Mako says:
However, as can be seen in the film, the wounded Palestinian man has no incendiary device in his hand, no such device fell out of his hand when he was hurt, and he is not seen walking, running, or threatening the soldiers in the field. According to the colonel with whom we discussed this, a very experienced infantry officer, “the target is not threatening the forces in the field in a manner that requires operating the sniper, not according to military procedures.”
The unnamed colonel to whom Mako showed the video adds: “It is customary to put snipers at controlling points and they have a very specific role: to locate and destroy an armed person who threatens the forces, if such a person appears among the demonstrators, or take out of commission a demonstrator who presents a clear threat and endangers the life of forces in the field … unfortunately, it does not look like that is the situation in the film in question.”
In other words, even by the standards of the occupying forces, this shooting was a gratuitous act of violence.
Embarrassing Mako – and the officer it interviewed – seem more concerned however with the public relations damage the video could do, rather than the rights of Palestinians under occupation.
The colonel criticizes the filming style “which is more appropriate for Hamas terrorists or Syrian rebels than for an army like the IDF.”
“The trickling of such materials to the Internet is especially serious,” the colonel adds. “In this way you can see how the force operates, they’re exposing themselves to legal problems, and what they don’t understand is that this could get the whole country in hot water. Damage at a global level. It’s just stupidity.”
The colonel notes that the video “has started gaining speed over the last few hours and it looks like it has already started being published on foreign sites.”
He worries that it could hit world news programs “and then the party will begin.”
Who is the victim? It is impossible to tell from the video the identity of the victim of the sniper attack.
According to Mako, the video “was apparently shot last Thursday, during a demonstration in the village of Silwad.”
However local media have not reported incidents on Thursday. Typically, Palestinians in the village hold weekly demonstrations against the occupation on Fridays.
The Palestinian news agency WAFA reports that on Friday, two Palestinians in the village were injured by occupation forces who “raided several homes in the town, forced residents out and took over their rooftops, turning them into military outposts to target residents.”
According to the report, one youth was shot and injured and another was hit by a stun grenade.
During confrontrations in the village on 5 June, the 48th anniversary of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, occupation forces injured three Palestinians with live ammunition in Silwad.
All three, one a child of 13, sustained bullet wounds to their legs, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.
Given that the people of Silwad are the constant targets of occupation forces and the settlers they protect, there has been no shortage of opportunities for the kind of violence depicted in the video.
Resisting land theft The presence of occupation forces in the area has nothing to do with any legitimate Israeli “security” concern but with protecting and promoting the theft of Palestinian land by and for settlers, in violation of international law.
Silwad villagers have seen much of their land stolen by Israeli colonists and have lived for years under severe movement restrictions by the occupation forces.
The settlement of Ofra, established in the mid-1970s, was built on lands seized from Silwad and the nearby village of Ein Yabroud.
According to the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, the “built-up area of Ofra lies on land that is registered in the Land Registry under the names of Palestinians from the villages of Ein Yabrud and Silwad.”
“The existence of Ofra is responsible for extensive violations of the human rights of Palestinians living in the area,” B’Tselem adds.
More recently settlers from Ofra have stolen even more Silwad village land to build the “Amona” outpost, an act legitimized by Israeli authorities.
Ultra-Orthodox What is notable about Netzah Yehuda is that it is a recently formed Haredi or Ultra-Orthodox unit. Haredi leaders have strongly opposed a recent law requiring young men from the community, who had been exempt since the founding of Israel, to enter the army for the first time.
The video is therefore being approvingly circulated on some websites to show that Haredi men are capable of being just as ruthless as other enforcers of the occupation.
Dena Shunra contributed research and Hebrew translation.
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New footage of incident doesn't show Palestinian trying to take soldier's weapon as they claimed; IDF has yet to respond to new video.
Just three days after three IDF soldiers were sentenced for the allegedly unnecessary beating of a Palestinian being arrested during clashes near Ramallah, a full video of the incident was released by Palestinian sources Wednesday, showing no definitive proof that the Palestinian civilian attempted to take one of the soldier's weapons as the IDF claimed after initial investigations. An original video of the incident, which erupted on social media on Saturday, showed the Palestinian being thrown to the ground and hit in |
the face by one of the soldiers, but it did not reveal what led to the heavy-handed arrest, leaving room for speculation that the soldiers were justified at least in making the arrest.
The clip released on Wednesday however, documents in full, the curses exchanged between the soldiers and the Palestinian as well as one moment in which the civilian brushes up against a soldier, but does not seem to make an aggressive grab for his weapon. In addition to the questionable arrest tactics seen in the original clip, the full video shows one soldier forcing the Palestinian to the ground by hitting him over the back of the head with a rifle.
The full video reached the IDF on Wednesday afternoon, but no response or statement has yet to be released. Two of the soldiers who were documented in the film received a suspended sentence of 28 days in army prison on Sunday, while another soldier who was seen cursing was sentenced to 30 days confinement to the base. The company commander was also reprimanded.
The clip released on Wednesday however, documents in full, the curses exchanged between the soldiers and the Palestinian as well as one moment in which the civilian brushes up against a soldier, but does not seem to make an aggressive grab for his weapon. In addition to the questionable arrest tactics seen in the original clip, the full video shows one soldier forcing the Palestinian to the ground by hitting him over the back of the head with a rifle.
The full video reached the IDF on Wednesday afternoon, but no response or statement has yet to be released. Two of the soldiers who were documented in the film received a suspended sentence of 28 days in army prison on Sunday, while another soldier who was seen cursing was sentenced to 30 days confinement to the base. The company commander was also reprimanded.
14 june 2015
Video
Five soldiers court martialed over violent arrest of Palestinian demonstrator; prelimanary investigations reveal Palestinian tried to grab a soldier's weapon.
Two IDF soldiers who were documented beating a Palestinian man received a suspended sentence of 28 days in army prison on Sunday, while another soldier who was seen cursing was sentenced to 30 days confinement to the base. The company commander was reprimanded.
Five soldiers of the Haredi Netzah Yehuda Battalion, which secures the Ramallah area, were filmed forcibly arresting a Palestinian demonstrator in Friday's violent incident at the Jalazun refugee camp.
A preliminary investigation into the incident, which was caught on film by a Palestinian cameraman, suggested that the demonstrator tried to grab a rifle from one of the soldiers.
Questioning of forces on the ground revealed that the Palestinian, who appears at the beginning of the video with a cap on his head teasing the soldiers, attacked one of the soldiers physically and tried to steal his weapon. These actions were both missing from the video released by the Palestinians.
The incident occurred while dozens of Palestinians were throwing stones at the soldiers. One of the stones hit a platoon commander in the eye, leading to his hospitalization.
The battalion commander who was on the scene when the incident took place did not prevent the contentious action towards the Palestinians, and soldiers were heard cursing them and screaming: "Get the cameramen out of here."
Demonstrations take place on regular basis at Jalazun, usually on weekends, near the headquarters of the IDF's West Bank Division. The participants at the demonstrations are mainly children and teenagers who throw stones at soldiers near the settlement of Beit El, but these protests are usually not publicized, despite the fact that Palestinian photographers document them on a regular basis.
IDF forces are instructed to be wary of traps, distance themselves as much as possible from the center of disturbances, respond with riot control measures, and, if deemed necessary, fire at the lower extremities of key instigators.
The guidelines' purpose, apart from preventing demonstrators getting near Beit El, is to prevent Palestinians from succeeding in their effort to delegitimize Israel, which was achieved relatively easily over the weekend, regardless of the outcome of the internal IDF investigation.
At Friday's demonstration, unlike other regular demonstrations at Ni'lin, Bil'in and Nabi Salih, there were no IDF cameramen to document what took place.
The Netzach Yehuda Battalion arrived in the area a few months ago, after having left their permanent area near Jenin, a move made at the request of soldiers in order to prevent fatigue.
The West Bank Division, which oversees the battalion's activity in the sensitive sector, noted that so far there have been no exceptional incidents apart from the aforementioned incident.
Five soldiers court martialed over violent arrest of Palestinian demonstrator; prelimanary investigations reveal Palestinian tried to grab a soldier's weapon.
Two IDF soldiers who were documented beating a Palestinian man received a suspended sentence of 28 days in army prison on Sunday, while another soldier who was seen cursing was sentenced to 30 days confinement to the base. The company commander was reprimanded.
Five soldiers of the Haredi Netzah Yehuda Battalion, which secures the Ramallah area, were filmed forcibly arresting a Palestinian demonstrator in Friday's violent incident at the Jalazun refugee camp.
A preliminary investigation into the incident, which was caught on film by a Palestinian cameraman, suggested that the demonstrator tried to grab a rifle from one of the soldiers.
Questioning of forces on the ground revealed that the Palestinian, who appears at the beginning of the video with a cap on his head teasing the soldiers, attacked one of the soldiers physically and tried to steal his weapon. These actions were both missing from the video released by the Palestinians.
The incident occurred while dozens of Palestinians were throwing stones at the soldiers. One of the stones hit a platoon commander in the eye, leading to his hospitalization.
The battalion commander who was on the scene when the incident took place did not prevent the contentious action towards the Palestinians, and soldiers were heard cursing them and screaming: "Get the cameramen out of here."
Demonstrations take place on regular basis at Jalazun, usually on weekends, near the headquarters of the IDF's West Bank Division. The participants at the demonstrations are mainly children and teenagers who throw stones at soldiers near the settlement of Beit El, but these protests are usually not publicized, despite the fact that Palestinian photographers document them on a regular basis.
IDF forces are instructed to be wary of traps, distance themselves as much as possible from the center of disturbances, respond with riot control measures, and, if deemed necessary, fire at the lower extremities of key instigators.
The guidelines' purpose, apart from preventing demonstrators getting near Beit El, is to prevent Palestinians from succeeding in their effort to delegitimize Israel, which was achieved relatively easily over the weekend, regardless of the outcome of the internal IDF investigation.
At Friday's demonstration, unlike other regular demonstrations at Ni'lin, Bil'in and Nabi Salih, there were no IDF cameramen to document what took place.
The Netzach Yehuda Battalion arrived in the area a few months ago, after having left their permanent area near Jenin, a move made at the request of soldiers in order to prevent fatigue.
The West Bank Division, which oversees the battalion's activity in the sensitive sector, noted that so far there have been no exceptional incidents apart from the aforementioned incident.
11 june 2015
Israeli fanatics attacked, Tuesday, a 13-year-old child, and his 10-year-old sister, as they were walking towards the Al-Aqsa Mosque, to participate in a summer camp.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan (Silwanic), said Mohammad Ayyoub Abu Hadwan, 13, and his sister Isra’, 10, were approached by two extremist Israeli settlers, who chased them and violently assaulted them, causing various cuts and bruises.
Resident Ayyoub Abu Hadwan told Silwanic that the fanatics struck and beat his two children, and that the Police arrived at the scene and attempted to kidnap his son, instead of apprehending the assailants.
He added that local residents intervened, and told the Police the children were assaulted without any provocation on their part.
The police told the children’s father they intend to contact him for questioning.
Abu Hadwan said his family has been subject to frequent assaults in the Sharaf neighborhood, as it is the closest road from Wadi Hilweh in Silwan to the Old City.
In addition, Abu Hadwan said that, nearly a month ago, Israeli extremists chased his wife and daughters before beating them up, and attempted to cut them with sharp objects.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan (Silwanic), said Mohammad Ayyoub Abu Hadwan, 13, and his sister Isra’, 10, were approached by two extremist Israeli settlers, who chased them and violently assaulted them, causing various cuts and bruises.
Resident Ayyoub Abu Hadwan told Silwanic that the fanatics struck and beat his two children, and that the Police arrived at the scene and attempted to kidnap his son, instead of apprehending the assailants.
He added that local residents intervened, and told the Police the children were assaulted without any provocation on their part.
The police told the children’s father they intend to contact him for questioning.
Abu Hadwan said his family has been subject to frequent assaults in the Sharaf neighborhood, as it is the closest road from Wadi Hilweh in Silwan to the Old City.
In addition, Abu Hadwan said that, nearly a month ago, Israeli extremists chased his wife and daughters before beating them up, and attempted to cut them with sharp objects.
16 may 2015
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Amateur photographer Ahmad Nazzal captured Israeli forces spraying 'skunk water' at a Palestinian child during the Kafr Qaddum weekly march in the occupied West Bank on Friday.
Five-year-old Muhammad Riyad appears standing in front of Israeli forces wearing a Palestinian Keffiyeh before the forces begin chasing him with skunk water, the boy eventually falling to the ground. The foul-smelling liquid has been used by the Israeli military as a form of non-lethal crowd control since at least 2008 and can leave individuals and homes smelling like feces and garbage for weeks. Skunk water was developed by Israeli company Odortec Ltd. in conjunction with the Israel police and is generally sprayed from specially designed |
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trucks up to a range of 30-40 meters, according to Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem.
Israeli army spokesperson has reported that skunk contains "organic material and has been approved for use by the Israeli Ministry of the Environment and the Chief IDF Medical Officer," although the exact contents of the rancid liquid have been contested, B'Tselem says. The rights group documented regular use of skunk water by Israeli forces, and has accused the forces of using the substance for collective punishment, citing instances of Israeli security forces driving skunk trucks down the streets of villages known for active demonstrations and spraying the substance into residents' homes. |
Photographer Nazzal had headed to cover the Kafr Qaddum weekly march, this week commemorating the 67th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, when he witnessed Friday's incident.Four Palestinians were also injured with live fire as Israeli forces suppressed the march.
An Israeli army spokeswoman had no immediate comment on the incident.
Israelis tell another story, this time they are right after seen the video (FlotillaHyves)
An Israeli army spokeswoman had no immediate comment on the incident.
Israelis tell another story, this time they are right after seen the video (FlotillaHyves)
14 may 2015
Israeli Soldiers kidnapped on Wednesday evening a Palestinian child in Hebron, and a man in the Old Askar refugee camp, in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and invaded Huwwara town near Nablus before imposing curfew, forcing the residents under house arrest.
Media sources in the southern West Bank city of Hebron said the soldiers attacked, and beat, a 10-year-old child, in the Old City of Hebron, and kidnapped him.
The child has been identified as Farhan Nader Rajabi, 10; he suffered various cuts and bruises.
In addition, undercover forces of the Israeli army, driving a civilian car with Palestinian license plates, invaded the Old Askar refugee camp, in Nablus, and kidnapped one Palestinian, identified as Nasser Naqeeb.
Eyewitnesses said the resident was kidnapped in a store in the center of the camp, and was taken to an unknown destination.
On Wednesday at night, soldiers invaded Huwwara town, south of Nablus, and imposed curfew forcing the entire town under house arrest.
Eyewitnesses said that several military vehicles invaded the town, forced all stores shut, and fired a number of gas bombs and concussion grenades in addition to a number of flares, and imposed curfew.
Media sources in the southern West Bank city of Hebron said the soldiers attacked, and beat, a 10-year-old child, in the Old City of Hebron, and kidnapped him.
The child has been identified as Farhan Nader Rajabi, 10; he suffered various cuts and bruises.
In addition, undercover forces of the Israeli army, driving a civilian car with Palestinian license plates, invaded the Old Askar refugee camp, in Nablus, and kidnapped one Palestinian, identified as Nasser Naqeeb.
Eyewitnesses said the resident was kidnapped in a store in the center of the camp, and was taken to an unknown destination.
On Wednesday at night, soldiers invaded Huwwara town, south of Nablus, and imposed curfew forcing the entire town under house arrest.
Eyewitnesses said that several military vehicles invaded the town, forced all stores shut, and fired a number of gas bombs and concussion grenades in addition to a number of flares, and imposed curfew.
Israeli occupation cops on Wednesday broke the arm of a Palestinian elderly woman after having detained her for 24 hours on her way back home to Qalqiliya from Jordan.
A PIC correspondent quoted the woman’s son as stating: “Israeli policemen broke my mother’s arm after they aggressively shoved her into a patrol of their own.”
The casualty, identified as 60-year-old Yusra Mohamed Qatesh, headed to Jordan to renew her passport as part of routine procedures to arrange a Umrah (pilgrimage) trip, the son added.
He said the family was shocked as they caught sight of the Israeli intelligence officers cracking down on his mother at the Karama overpass and seizing her for over 12 hours. The Israeli cops dragged the lady to an investigation center in Jerusalem’s Ma’aleh Adumim settlement, where she has been kept in remand until six a.m. on Wednesday.
The elderly civilian was verbally and physically assaulted by an Israeli female soldier and two cops who forced her into an Israeli army jeep in an attempt to transfer her to al-Mascoubiya investigation center.
“You are a dirty Palestinian” and “We will throw you next to dirty Palestinian women!” were kinds of insults which the casualty firmly rebuffed, moments before the soldiers beat her up, paying no heed to her age or gender.
The mother was rushed to a local hospital in Occupied Jerusalem to be treated for the inflicted fractures. She was released shortly afterwards.
A PIC correspondent quoted the woman’s son as stating: “Israeli policemen broke my mother’s arm after they aggressively shoved her into a patrol of their own.”
The casualty, identified as 60-year-old Yusra Mohamed Qatesh, headed to Jordan to renew her passport as part of routine procedures to arrange a Umrah (pilgrimage) trip, the son added.
He said the family was shocked as they caught sight of the Israeli intelligence officers cracking down on his mother at the Karama overpass and seizing her for over 12 hours. The Israeli cops dragged the lady to an investigation center in Jerusalem’s Ma’aleh Adumim settlement, where she has been kept in remand until six a.m. on Wednesday.
The elderly civilian was verbally and physically assaulted by an Israeli female soldier and two cops who forced her into an Israeli army jeep in an attempt to transfer her to al-Mascoubiya investigation center.
“You are a dirty Palestinian” and “We will throw you next to dirty Palestinian women!” were kinds of insults which the casualty firmly rebuffed, moments before the soldiers beat her up, paying no heed to her age or gender.
The mother was rushed to a local hospital in Occupied Jerusalem to be treated for the inflicted fractures. She was released shortly afterwards.