27 july 2016
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Wednesday arrested three Palestinians from al-Arqeh and Yabad towns in southern Jenin and transferred them to an unknown destination.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that Israeli police along with border security guards arrested two young men while being in Haifa city in 1948 Occupied Palestine.
The two arrested young men were identified as Naem Hassan, 22, and Khader Ahmad, 24.
Israeli troops broke into the apartment where they were living, searched it and combed the area before arresting them both, the sources pointed out.
At an earlier time on Wednesday, Israeli forces arrested Sheikh Emad al-Abadi, 50, from Yabad town after storming, searching and wreaking havoc at his home in addition to confiscating his cell phones.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that Israeli police along with border security guards arrested two young men while being in Haifa city in 1948 Occupied Palestine.
The two arrested young men were identified as Naem Hassan, 22, and Khader Ahmad, 24.
Israeli troops broke into the apartment where they were living, searched it and combed the area before arresting them both, the sources pointed out.
At an earlier time on Wednesday, Israeli forces arrested Sheikh Emad al-Abadi, 50, from Yabad town after storming, searching and wreaking havoc at his home in addition to confiscating his cell phones.
The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) on Wednesday raised the alarm over the exacerbated health status of the injured Palestinian prisoner Mamdouh Amr.
PPS lawyer said after he popped in the prison clinic that he could not talk to Amr due to his critical health condition.
Amr reportedly cannot stand on his feet. The detainee was injured on February 24 after multiple bullet shots fired by the Israeli occupation forces hit his body and led to the removal of parts of his lungs.
Amr also been suffering from critical breathing disorders and has been tied to an oxygen tank to increase the flow of air into his lungs.
He also lost his ability to speak properly and lost half of his overall weight. Amr has been held in the Shaare Zedek Medical Center for over four months, during which he lost consciousness.
He was recently transferred to the Ramla prison clinic, where he has been subjected to medical neglect by Israeli medics. Sick detainees in the Ramla prison clinic also launched a cry for help over the poor hygienic conditions and dire detention circumstances along with the exhausting inter-hospital transfers.
PPS lawyer said after he popped in the prison clinic that he could not talk to Amr due to his critical health condition.
Amr reportedly cannot stand on his feet. The detainee was injured on February 24 after multiple bullet shots fired by the Israeli occupation forces hit his body and led to the removal of parts of his lungs.
Amr also been suffering from critical breathing disorders and has been tied to an oxygen tank to increase the flow of air into his lungs.
He also lost his ability to speak properly and lost half of his overall weight. Amr has been held in the Shaare Zedek Medical Center for over four months, during which he lost consciousness.
He was recently transferred to the Ramla prison clinic, where he has been subjected to medical neglect by Israeli medics. Sick detainees in the Ramla prison clinic also launched a cry for help over the poor hygienic conditions and dire detention circumstances along with the exhausting inter-hospital transfers.
Two Palestinian fishermen were kidnapped by the Israeli navy on Wednesday morning off Gaza’s coast.
Head of Gaza’s fishermen union Nizar Ayyash said Israeli gunboats chased down two Palestinian fishermen on board their fishing boat off Beit Lahia shores, to the north of Gaza, and kidnapped them shortly before they steered the vessel to the Israeli Ashdod airport.
The abduction was reportedly carried out within the allowed six-nautical-mile fishing zone.
Head of Gaza’s fishermen union Nizar Ayyash said Israeli gunboats chased down two Palestinian fishermen on board their fishing boat off Beit Lahia shores, to the north of Gaza, and kidnapped them shortly before they steered the vessel to the Israeli Ashdod airport.
The abduction was reportedly carried out within the allowed six-nautical-mile fishing zone.
The Voice of Prisoners radio station said the Israeli prison authority imposed a movement ban on the prisoners in Nafha jail in the Negev desert.
According to the radio, the administration of Nafha jail prohibited all prisoners from working in all sections of the prison and restricted their movement.
The Nafha jailers also transferred prisoners Akef Abed-Rabo and Abdul-Rahim Abdul-Qader, both senior Fatah officials, to an unknown place.
This came after the prisoners in the jail refused to undergo the routine security check in solidarity with hunger-striking prisoners.
In another context, 45 Palestinian prisoners in different jails started on Tuesday an open-ended hunger strike in solidarity with the hunger-striking prisoners, Bilal Kayed, Mohamed and Mahmoud Balboul, Malek al-Qadi, Ayyad al-Huraimi, and Muhanad Mattahena.
According to the radio, the administration of Nafha jail prohibited all prisoners from working in all sections of the prison and restricted their movement.
The Nafha jailers also transferred prisoners Akef Abed-Rabo and Abdul-Rahim Abdul-Qader, both senior Fatah officials, to an unknown place.
This came after the prisoners in the jail refused to undergo the routine security check in solidarity with hunger-striking prisoners.
In another context, 45 Palestinian prisoners in different jails started on Tuesday an open-ended hunger strike in solidarity with the hunger-striking prisoners, Bilal Kayed, Mohamed and Mahmoud Balboul, Malek al-Qadi, Ayyad al-Huraimi, and Muhanad Mattahena.
Israeli Intelligence Service (Shin Bet) claimed that an armed cell affiliated with Hamas Movement’s armed wing al-Qassam Brigades was behind the anti-occupation shooting attack near the illegal settlement of Otniel in earlier July.
In a statement issued Wednesday morning, Shin Bet claimed that a Shin Bet and Israeli police joint operation has revealed that a cell affiliated with Hamas was behind the shooting attack near Otniel outpost on July 1.
The statement said that Mohamed al-Fakih, head of the armed cell, was shot and killed while another was arrested in a “security operation” that lasted till morning hours Wednesday.
In a statement issued Wednesday morning, Shin Bet claimed that a Shin Bet and Israeli police joint operation has revealed that a cell affiliated with Hamas was behind the shooting attack near Otniel outpost on July 1.
The statement said that Mohamed al-Fakih, head of the armed cell, was shot and killed while another was arrested in a “security operation” that lasted till morning hours Wednesday.
Israeli soldiers invaded, on Wednesday at dawn, two Palestinians in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, after invading their homes and searching them.
The Jenin office of the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) has reported that the soldiers invaded the Eastern Neighborhood in Jenin, and kidnapped Abdul-Rahman Sanouri, and Mohammad Shehab Sanouri, 44.
It added that Mohammad is a former political prisoner who was held by Israeli for fourteen consecutive years.
The Jenin office of the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) has reported that the soldiers invaded the Eastern Neighborhood in Jenin, and kidnapped Abdul-Rahman Sanouri, and Mohammad Shehab Sanouri, 44.
It added that Mohammad is a former political prisoner who was held by Israeli for fourteen consecutive years.
Physicians for Human Rights – Israel: Bilal Kayed, a 35-year-old Palestinian man from Nablus who is being detained by Israel has reached 43 days of hunger strike, and resolves to continue his protest until he is freed. Bilal was placed in administrative detention on 13 June 2016, when he was supposed to be released after completing a sentence of 14.5 years in an Israeli prison.
In protest of his arbitrary detention without charge or trial and his continued placement in solitary confinement, he began his hunger strike on 15 June 2016.
Bilal’s health has continuously deteriorated since he started his hunger strike and he is currently entering a very critical stage.
He is suffering from deterioration in his vision and from difficulties to stand up or walk, with physicians warning of the possibility of a stroke. He is currently shackled to his hospital bed in Barzilai hospital.
Bilal is also being denied access to an independent doctor’ visit. All of those practices violate medical ethics and his right to health and freedom from torture and/or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
On Friday 22 July 2016, Physicians for Human Rights – Israel appealed to the District Court of Beersheva to end the continued shackling of Bilal to his hospital bed.
The shackling of a hospitalized prisoner violates medical ethics, international medical guidelines and Israeli Ministry of Health guidelines, as well as international human rights law.
The medical staff has an ethical and professional obligation to demand his unshackling for the sake of his medical treatment and in order to maintain necessary trust in the patient-doctor relationship, which is pivotal for the patient’s well-being.
The handcuffing of a prisoner who is undergoing treatment constitutes grave injury to their dignity, and in this case amounts to cruel and degrading treatment, in contravention of Israel’s legal obligations.
Bilal’s shackling also violates the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) ordinance, which states that a prisoner should not be shackled while in hospital unless a real flight or security risk exists. The prisoner’s health condition must be taken into account and a written justification must be given.
As has happened with other Palestinian hunger strikers, Bilal’s health condition was not taken into account and no justification was given for his shackling. Furthermore, PHRI has also requested Bilal’s access to an independent doctor and the IPS has rejected the request.
Bilal’s treatment indicates that Israel’s political considerations are at play in preventing hunger strikes as a form of legitimate protest, and these practices operate in contravention of medical and humanitarian needs. Hunger striking is a non-violent form of protest, and often the only recourse for prisoners to draw attention to an issue.
Palestinian prisoners go on hunger strikes to protest Israel’s arbitrary and abusive detention policies, whereby Palestinians face secret evidence before military tribunals and can be jailed for months or even years without facing formal charges or a trial via the use of administrative detention. As per Addameer’s numbers for May 2016, there are 715 Palestinians currently held in administrative detention by Israel, all held under secret evidence.
Notably, in its 2016 concluding observations, the UN Committee Against Torture recommended that Israel, “urgently take the measures necessary to end the practice of administrative detention and ensure that all persons who are currently held in administrative detention are afforded all basic legal safeguards” (para. 23); and “guarantee that persons deprived of liberty who engage in hunger strikes are never subjected to ill-treatment or punished for engaging in a hunger strike, and are provided with necessary medical care in accordance with their wishes” (para. 27).
We call on the international community to urge Israel to release Bilal Kayed immediately, to end the harsh, inhuman and degrading practices that pressure hunger strikers to end their strikes, and to review the continuous and systematic human rights violations of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, especially in regards to the policy of administrative detention.
Signing organizations: Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, The Public Committee against Torture in Israel (PCATI) and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI)
PCR-Israel
Gaza rally sounds alarm over hunger-striking Kayed
A rally was staged in the blockaded Gaza Strip by the Waed Association for Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners in solidarity with the Palestinian hunger-striker Bilal Kayed.
Activists, ex-prisoners, and representatives of Palestinian national factions joined the rally. Speaking during the rally, member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Qasem Barakat hailed prisoner Kayed, saying: “Kayed defeated the Israeli prison service with his empty stomach.”
Ex-prisoner Salman Abu Shamas, from the Waed Association, also said Kayed’s struggle for freedom is emblematic of the tragedy endured by Palestinian administrative detainees in Israeli jails.
“We, the Palestinians, should take it upon our shoulders to speak up for the prisoners’ cause and urge the Palestinian resistance to strike another prisoner swap deal,” he added.
Speaking on behalf of the Islamic resistance factions, activist Abu Ali al-Qatawi urged the Palestinian Authority, chaired by Mahmoud Abbas, to seriously tend to Kayed’s case and the prisoners’ cause as a whole.
Kayed has been on an open-ended hunger strike for the fifth week running in protest at being transferred to administrative detention, without charge or trial, right after the end of his 14-year-sentence in Israeli jails.
In protest of his arbitrary detention without charge or trial and his continued placement in solitary confinement, he began his hunger strike on 15 June 2016.
Bilal’s health has continuously deteriorated since he started his hunger strike and he is currently entering a very critical stage.
He is suffering from deterioration in his vision and from difficulties to stand up or walk, with physicians warning of the possibility of a stroke. He is currently shackled to his hospital bed in Barzilai hospital.
Bilal is also being denied access to an independent doctor’ visit. All of those practices violate medical ethics and his right to health and freedom from torture and/or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
On Friday 22 July 2016, Physicians for Human Rights – Israel appealed to the District Court of Beersheva to end the continued shackling of Bilal to his hospital bed.
The shackling of a hospitalized prisoner violates medical ethics, international medical guidelines and Israeli Ministry of Health guidelines, as well as international human rights law.
The medical staff has an ethical and professional obligation to demand his unshackling for the sake of his medical treatment and in order to maintain necessary trust in the patient-doctor relationship, which is pivotal for the patient’s well-being.
The handcuffing of a prisoner who is undergoing treatment constitutes grave injury to their dignity, and in this case amounts to cruel and degrading treatment, in contravention of Israel’s legal obligations.
Bilal’s shackling also violates the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) ordinance, which states that a prisoner should not be shackled while in hospital unless a real flight or security risk exists. The prisoner’s health condition must be taken into account and a written justification must be given.
As has happened with other Palestinian hunger strikers, Bilal’s health condition was not taken into account and no justification was given for his shackling. Furthermore, PHRI has also requested Bilal’s access to an independent doctor and the IPS has rejected the request.
Bilal’s treatment indicates that Israel’s political considerations are at play in preventing hunger strikes as a form of legitimate protest, and these practices operate in contravention of medical and humanitarian needs. Hunger striking is a non-violent form of protest, and often the only recourse for prisoners to draw attention to an issue.
Palestinian prisoners go on hunger strikes to protest Israel’s arbitrary and abusive detention policies, whereby Palestinians face secret evidence before military tribunals and can be jailed for months or even years without facing formal charges or a trial via the use of administrative detention. As per Addameer’s numbers for May 2016, there are 715 Palestinians currently held in administrative detention by Israel, all held under secret evidence.
Notably, in its 2016 concluding observations, the UN Committee Against Torture recommended that Israel, “urgently take the measures necessary to end the practice of administrative detention and ensure that all persons who are currently held in administrative detention are afforded all basic legal safeguards” (para. 23); and “guarantee that persons deprived of liberty who engage in hunger strikes are never subjected to ill-treatment or punished for engaging in a hunger strike, and are provided with necessary medical care in accordance with their wishes” (para. 27).
We call on the international community to urge Israel to release Bilal Kayed immediately, to end the harsh, inhuman and degrading practices that pressure hunger strikers to end their strikes, and to review the continuous and systematic human rights violations of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, especially in regards to the policy of administrative detention.
Signing organizations: Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, The Public Committee against Torture in Israel (PCATI) and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI)
PCR-Israel
Gaza rally sounds alarm over hunger-striking Kayed
A rally was staged in the blockaded Gaza Strip by the Waed Association for Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners in solidarity with the Palestinian hunger-striker Bilal Kayed.
Activists, ex-prisoners, and representatives of Palestinian national factions joined the rally. Speaking during the rally, member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Qasem Barakat hailed prisoner Kayed, saying: “Kayed defeated the Israeli prison service with his empty stomach.”
Ex-prisoner Salman Abu Shamas, from the Waed Association, also said Kayed’s struggle for freedom is emblematic of the tragedy endured by Palestinian administrative detainees in Israeli jails.
“We, the Palestinians, should take it upon our shoulders to speak up for the prisoners’ cause and urge the Palestinian resistance to strike another prisoner swap deal,” he added.
Speaking on behalf of the Islamic resistance factions, activist Abu Ali al-Qatawi urged the Palestinian Authority, chaired by Mahmoud Abbas, to seriously tend to Kayed’s case and the prisoners’ cause as a whole.
Kayed has been on an open-ended hunger strike for the fifth week running in protest at being transferred to administrative detention, without charge or trial, right after the end of his 14-year-sentence in Israeli jails.
The Hebron office of the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) has reported that Israeli soldiers have kidnapped, on Wednesday at dawn, four Palestinians, including one woman, in Surif town, northeast of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and one Palestinian in Hebron city.
The PPS said that soldiers kidnapped Mohammad Ali al-Heeh, and his wife, in addition to Dia’ Khaled Eghneimat, 25, and Mohammad Ziad Hmeidat, 17.
Al-Heeh is the owner of the home, where Mohammad al-Faqeeh, 29, barricaded himself, before the soldiers exchange fire with him, and fired two missiles into the property, destroying it and leading to his death.
Several Palestinians were also injured during the invasion, after the soldiers fired many live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets, and gas bombs, at local youths who hurled stones and empty bottles at them.
The soldiers also kidnapped Rami Mahmoud Abu Ermeila, 25, from his home in Jabal Johar area, in Hebron city.
Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Dr. Saeb Erekat, denounced the Israeli invasion and the acts of collective punishment by the military, especially since the army fired missiles into the al-Heeh family home, and demolished it using armored military bulldozers.
Erekat added that Israel is engaged in ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians through systematic policies aiming at destroying homes, and property, to displace the Palestinians, in addition to isolating entire communities, and escalating the abduction and imprisonment of the Palestinians.
He added that in the last 24 hours, Israel displaced more than 30 Palestinian families in Qalandia, Ras al-‘Amoud and the al-‘Eesawiyya, in occupied Jerusalem, after demolishing their homes.
“The idleness and silence of the International Community is encouraging Israel to continue and escalate its violations against the Palestinians and their property,” Erekat stated, “The Palestinian leadership is constantly submitting the files of these violations to the International Criminal Court, but the International Community must act instantly, provide our people with the needed protection, and hold Israel accountable for its crimes.”
The PPS said that soldiers kidnapped Mohammad Ali al-Heeh, and his wife, in addition to Dia’ Khaled Eghneimat, 25, and Mohammad Ziad Hmeidat, 17.
Al-Heeh is the owner of the home, where Mohammad al-Faqeeh, 29, barricaded himself, before the soldiers exchange fire with him, and fired two missiles into the property, destroying it and leading to his death.
Several Palestinians were also injured during the invasion, after the soldiers fired many live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets, and gas bombs, at local youths who hurled stones and empty bottles at them.
The soldiers also kidnapped Rami Mahmoud Abu Ermeila, 25, from his home in Jabal Johar area, in Hebron city.
Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Dr. Saeb Erekat, denounced the Israeli invasion and the acts of collective punishment by the military, especially since the army fired missiles into the al-Heeh family home, and demolished it using armored military bulldozers.
Erekat added that Israel is engaged in ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians through systematic policies aiming at destroying homes, and property, to displace the Palestinians, in addition to isolating entire communities, and escalating the abduction and imprisonment of the Palestinians.
He added that in the last 24 hours, Israel displaced more than 30 Palestinian families in Qalandia, Ras al-‘Amoud and the al-‘Eesawiyya, in occupied Jerusalem, after demolishing their homes.
“The idleness and silence of the International Community is encouraging Israel to continue and escalate its violations against the Palestinians and their property,” Erekat stated, “The Palestinian leadership is constantly submitting the files of these violations to the International Criminal Court, but the International Community must act instantly, provide our people with the needed protection, and hold Israel accountable for its crimes.”
According to a statement by the Israeli military and security forces, the Palestinian who was killed, earlier on Wednesday at dawn, in Surif town, in the southern West Bank district of Hebron, was reportedly the shooter who killed an Israeli settler in Hebron last month. The army also said the soldiers arrested two Palestinians involved in the attack.
Israeli TV Channel Two said the attack was carried out by members of the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, who were in a car that sped away after the shooting.
It added that the main person behind the deadly shooting attack was Mohammad al-Faqeeh, 29, who was killed, earlier on Wednesday at dawn, following armed clashes with the soldiers after they surrounded a Palestinian home in Surif, before the soldiers fired two missiles into the property.
The Israeli army said its soldiers also arrested two Palestinians, including the person who drove the vehicle, in addition to arresting several other Palestinians. It added that the car that was used in the shooting attack, was also located.
The Israeli Internal Security Services said al-Faqeeh, from Doura nearby town, was previously arrested and imprisoned for his affiliation to the Islamic Jihad, before he became an active member of the Al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas.
Another Palestinian, Mohammad Abdul-Majid Amayra, who was also arrested at dawn, is believed to be the driver of the vehicle, while several other Palestinians were also taken prisoner reportedly for aiding the assailants.
The shooting led to the death of an Israeli settler, identified as Michael Mark, 48, while his wife, Chava, was critically wounded, and their two daughters, Pedaya, 15, and Tehilla, 14, suffered moderate and mild wounds.
Israeli TV Channel Two said the attack was carried out by members of the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, who were in a car that sped away after the shooting.
It added that the main person behind the deadly shooting attack was Mohammad al-Faqeeh, 29, who was killed, earlier on Wednesday at dawn, following armed clashes with the soldiers after they surrounded a Palestinian home in Surif, before the soldiers fired two missiles into the property.
The Israeli army said its soldiers also arrested two Palestinians, including the person who drove the vehicle, in addition to arresting several other Palestinians. It added that the car that was used in the shooting attack, was also located.
The Israeli Internal Security Services said al-Faqeeh, from Doura nearby town, was previously arrested and imprisoned for his affiliation to the Islamic Jihad, before he became an active member of the Al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas.
Another Palestinian, Mohammad Abdul-Majid Amayra, who was also arrested at dawn, is believed to be the driver of the vehicle, while several other Palestinians were also taken prisoner reportedly for aiding the assailants.
The shooting led to the death of an Israeli settler, identified as Michael Mark, 48, while his wife, Chava, was critically wounded, and their two daughters, Pedaya, 15, and Tehilla, 14, suffered moderate and mild wounds.
The Tulkarem office of the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) has reported that dozens of soldiers invaded, on Wednesday at dawn, the town of Bal’a, near Tulkarem city, in the northern part of the West Bank, and kidnapped one Palestinian.
The PPS said the soldiers invaded the home of Othman Rajeh Suleiman, after forcing him and his family out of their property, and kidnapped his son, Aseed.
Suleiman said the soldiers confiscated computers and mobile phones, owned by the family, in addition to deliberately causing damage to electric equipment, and furniture, before leaving the property.
The PPS said the soldiers invaded the home of Othman Rajeh Suleiman, after forcing him and his family out of their property, and kidnapped his son, Aseed.
Suleiman said the soldiers confiscated computers and mobile phones, owned by the family, in addition to deliberately causing damage to electric equipment, and furniture, before leaving the property.
Israeli forces detained 52 Palestinians -- including 11 minors -- overnight Tuesday after raiding communities just south of occupied East Jerusalem’s Old City, amid a massive detention campaign targeting Palestinian youth in the area, a day after some 30 Palestinians families in East Jerusalem were left homeless by Israeli authorities-enforced home demolitions.
Israeli police spokeswoman Luba al-Samri said in a statement that Israeli police detained 52 Palestinians in the Silwan and Ras al-Amoud neighborhoods overnight. The campaign, she said, was called "the 700" because 700 Israeli police officers were involved in the crackdown.
She added that hundreds of Israeli police and border guard officers were joined by representatives of Israel's national insurance institute and Jerusalem municipality officers. Locals reported at least one military helicopter circling over occupied East Jerusalem during the raids as backup.
The detainees, al-Samri said, were suspected of crimes including stone throwing, drug dealing, and theft.
According to a lawyer from prisoners’ rights group Addameer, Mohammad Mahmoud, the detainees were taken to the Russian Compound police station and a police station on Salah al-Din street in East Jerusalem.
A statement released Wednesday by Palestinian Prisoner’s Society identified 33 of the detained.
Among them were 11 minors: Omran Abu Sbeih, 14, Muhammad Qutub, 14, Muhammad Salayma, 15, Ibrahim Dandis, 16, Mustafa Muheisin, 16, Mousa Jabir, 17, Haroun Rweidat, 17, Sharif Abu Mayyala, 17, Jihad Bazlamit, 17, Omar Sharif, 17, and Ammar Atiyeh, 17.
The others were identified by PPS as Uday Abu Tayih, 18, Ahmad Dandis, 18, Abd al-Rahim Barbar, 18, Amir Najadi, 18, Taha Abu Tayih, 18, Yousif Abbas, 33, Khalil Odeh, 21, Ziad Hijazi, 27, Mansour Shuyukhi, 24, Muntasir Shuyukhi, 25, Jamal Daana, 22, Rabee Bashir, 29, Hasan Ruweidi, 19, Muhammad Shaloudi, 25, Anan Abu Khdeir, 19, Ayyub Abbasi, 20, Fathi Najada, 19, Ahmad Bazlamit, 21, Alaa Qutub, 21, Malik Hamdan, 19, Muatasim Abu Tayih, 21, Riyad Abu Diab, 39, Karim Abu Tayih, 28, and Muhammad Awwad, 33.
Jerusalem police have conducted widespread detention raids in recent weeks in occupied east Jerusalem, in connection to alleged stone-throwing incidents targeting Israeli border police and settlers in the area, particularly at the Old City’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as well as at Israeli vehicles traveling between the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya and Maale Adumin -- a massive illegal Israeli settlement bloc just a few kilometers east in the occupied West Bank.
Al-Samri said in a statement last week that police detained at least nine young Palestinian suspects from Issawiya throughout the week, including five minors between the ages of 15 and 17 years old.
“Some of them admitted during interrogation that they threw stones at Israeli vehicles and police patrols on the roads to Maale Adumim,” al-Samri said.
The crackdown on Jerusalemite youth comes on the heels of newly approved changes to Israeli legislation increasing the penalty for stone throwing in 2014 and 2015, which rights groups say specifically target young Palestinians for crimes that Israeli Jews are rarely held accountable for.
Defense for Children International - Palestine (DCIP) wrote in a report on Wednesday that Palestinian youth convicted of throwing stones in Jerusalem were already starting to feel the effects of the changes in legislation, citing a number of recent cases of Palestinian minors being handed prison sentences for periods ranging between 12 to 39 months.
According to affidavits taken by DCIP, two of the teenagers “both had maintained their innocence and confessed only after they had experienced physical and psychological abuse.”
Meanwhile, some 30 Palestinian families in occupied East Jerusalem neighborhoods -- according to the PLO’s count -- were left homeless in a single day on Tuesday, in one the most extensive demolition onslaughts in the city in recent years.
In village of Qalandiya, located just beyond Israel’s separation wall in the occupied West Bank north of Jerusalem, Israeli forces destroyed 12 homes for lacking the proper Israeli-issued licences because they were built "too close to the wall," sparking violent clashes that left at least seven injured by Israeli rubber-coated steel bullets, tear-gas, and physical assault.
At least five other structures were demolished in Issawiya and Ras al-Amoud.
Palestinian areas in occupied East Jerusalem have seen an influx of Israeli settlers at the cost of home demolitions, the eviction of Palestinian families, as well as a heightened presence of Israeli forces and discriminatory policing.
Israeli Soldiers Kidnap 33 Palestinians In Silwan, One In Sheikh Jarrah, In Occupied Jerusalem
Hundreds of Israeli soldiers invaded, on Wednesday at dawn, the town of Silwan, in occupied East Jerusalem, before storming and violently searching dozens of homes and kidnapped 33 Palestinians. The soldiers also kidnapped one Palestinian in Sheikh Jarrah.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan (Silwanic) has reported that the soldiers, and security officers, invaded various neighborhoods in the town, after completely surrounding it, and initiated massive, violent, searches of homes.
Silwanic added that most of the 33 kidnapped Palestinians are children, in addition to several former political prisoners.
The soldiers also interrogated many Palestinians, including entire families, while violently searching their homes.
Military helicopters were seen flying over various neighborhoods in Silwad, while the home invasions were largely focused in the neighborhoods in Ras al-‘Amoud, the Central Neighborhood, Ein Silwan, Be’er Ayyoub, Wad Qaddoum, al-Bustan and Wad ar-Rababa.
The soldiers also summoned at least five Palestinians for interrogation in a number of detention and interrogation centers in Jerusalem.
Lawyer Mohammad Mahmoud told Silwanic that the soldiers moved the kidnapped Palestinians to a police station in Salaheddin Street, in addition to the al-Maskobiyya detention and interrogation center. They have been identified as:
Israeli police spokeswoman Luba al-Samri said in a statement that Israeli police detained 52 Palestinians in the Silwan and Ras al-Amoud neighborhoods overnight. The campaign, she said, was called "the 700" because 700 Israeli police officers were involved in the crackdown.
She added that hundreds of Israeli police and border guard officers were joined by representatives of Israel's national insurance institute and Jerusalem municipality officers. Locals reported at least one military helicopter circling over occupied East Jerusalem during the raids as backup.
The detainees, al-Samri said, were suspected of crimes including stone throwing, drug dealing, and theft.
According to a lawyer from prisoners’ rights group Addameer, Mohammad Mahmoud, the detainees were taken to the Russian Compound police station and a police station on Salah al-Din street in East Jerusalem.
A statement released Wednesday by Palestinian Prisoner’s Society identified 33 of the detained.
Among them were 11 minors: Omran Abu Sbeih, 14, Muhammad Qutub, 14, Muhammad Salayma, 15, Ibrahim Dandis, 16, Mustafa Muheisin, 16, Mousa Jabir, 17, Haroun Rweidat, 17, Sharif Abu Mayyala, 17, Jihad Bazlamit, 17, Omar Sharif, 17, and Ammar Atiyeh, 17.
The others were identified by PPS as Uday Abu Tayih, 18, Ahmad Dandis, 18, Abd al-Rahim Barbar, 18, Amir Najadi, 18, Taha Abu Tayih, 18, Yousif Abbas, 33, Khalil Odeh, 21, Ziad Hijazi, 27, Mansour Shuyukhi, 24, Muntasir Shuyukhi, 25, Jamal Daana, 22, Rabee Bashir, 29, Hasan Ruweidi, 19, Muhammad Shaloudi, 25, Anan Abu Khdeir, 19, Ayyub Abbasi, 20, Fathi Najada, 19, Ahmad Bazlamit, 21, Alaa Qutub, 21, Malik Hamdan, 19, Muatasim Abu Tayih, 21, Riyad Abu Diab, 39, Karim Abu Tayih, 28, and Muhammad Awwad, 33.
Jerusalem police have conducted widespread detention raids in recent weeks in occupied east Jerusalem, in connection to alleged stone-throwing incidents targeting Israeli border police and settlers in the area, particularly at the Old City’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as well as at Israeli vehicles traveling between the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya and Maale Adumin -- a massive illegal Israeli settlement bloc just a few kilometers east in the occupied West Bank.
Al-Samri said in a statement last week that police detained at least nine young Palestinian suspects from Issawiya throughout the week, including five minors between the ages of 15 and 17 years old.
“Some of them admitted during interrogation that they threw stones at Israeli vehicles and police patrols on the roads to Maale Adumim,” al-Samri said.
The crackdown on Jerusalemite youth comes on the heels of newly approved changes to Israeli legislation increasing the penalty for stone throwing in 2014 and 2015, which rights groups say specifically target young Palestinians for crimes that Israeli Jews are rarely held accountable for.
Defense for Children International - Palestine (DCIP) wrote in a report on Wednesday that Palestinian youth convicted of throwing stones in Jerusalem were already starting to feel the effects of the changes in legislation, citing a number of recent cases of Palestinian minors being handed prison sentences for periods ranging between 12 to 39 months.
According to affidavits taken by DCIP, two of the teenagers “both had maintained their innocence and confessed only after they had experienced physical and psychological abuse.”
Meanwhile, some 30 Palestinian families in occupied East Jerusalem neighborhoods -- according to the PLO’s count -- were left homeless in a single day on Tuesday, in one the most extensive demolition onslaughts in the city in recent years.
In village of Qalandiya, located just beyond Israel’s separation wall in the occupied West Bank north of Jerusalem, Israeli forces destroyed 12 homes for lacking the proper Israeli-issued licences because they were built "too close to the wall," sparking violent clashes that left at least seven injured by Israeli rubber-coated steel bullets, tear-gas, and physical assault.
At least five other structures were demolished in Issawiya and Ras al-Amoud.
Palestinian areas in occupied East Jerusalem have seen an influx of Israeli settlers at the cost of home demolitions, the eviction of Palestinian families, as well as a heightened presence of Israeli forces and discriminatory policing.
Israeli Soldiers Kidnap 33 Palestinians In Silwan, One In Sheikh Jarrah, In Occupied Jerusalem
Hundreds of Israeli soldiers invaded, on Wednesday at dawn, the town of Silwan, in occupied East Jerusalem, before storming and violently searching dozens of homes and kidnapped 33 Palestinians. The soldiers also kidnapped one Palestinian in Sheikh Jarrah.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan (Silwanic) has reported that the soldiers, and security officers, invaded various neighborhoods in the town, after completely surrounding it, and initiated massive, violent, searches of homes.
Silwanic added that most of the 33 kidnapped Palestinians are children, in addition to several former political prisoners.
The soldiers also interrogated many Palestinians, including entire families, while violently searching their homes.
Military helicopters were seen flying over various neighborhoods in Silwad, while the home invasions were largely focused in the neighborhoods in Ras al-‘Amoud, the Central Neighborhood, Ein Silwan, Be’er Ayyoub, Wad Qaddoum, al-Bustan and Wad ar-Rababa.
The soldiers also summoned at least five Palestinians for interrogation in a number of detention and interrogation centers in Jerusalem.
Lawyer Mohammad Mahmoud told Silwanic that the soldiers moved the kidnapped Palestinians to a police station in Salaheddin Street, in addition to the al-Maskobiyya detention and interrogation center. They have been identified as:
- Omran Amer Abu Sbeih, 14.
- Mohammad Issa Qutub, 14.
- Ibrahim Tamer Dandees, 16.
- Ahmad Tamer Dandees, 18.
- Mohammad Salaima, 15.
- Mohammad Yousef Sharaf, 17.
- Sharif Emad Abu Mayyala, 17.
- Taha Fawzi Abu Tayeh, 17.
- Jihad Nader al-Bazlameet, 17,
- Odai Samer Abu Tayeh, 17.
- Ammar Issa Ateyya, 17.
- Malek Abed Hamdan, 19.
- Mo’tasem Mohammad Abu Tayeh, 21.
- Riyad Salim Abu Diab, 39.
- Karim Ishaq Abu Tayeh, 28.
- Mohammad Ibrahim Awwad, 33.
- Ayyoub Mousa al-Abbassi, 20.
- Fathi Khaled Nasser, 19.
- Abed Ezz Barbar, 18.
- Ahmad Nader al-Bazlameet, 21.
- Amir Majed Najdi, 18.
- Ala’ Fawzi al-Khatib, 21.
- Yousef Daoud al-Abbassi, 23.
- Khalil Khalaf Odeh, 21.
- Mousa Maher Jaber, 17.
- Zeid Kayed Hijazi, 27.
- Montaser Yousef Shiokhi, 25.
- Jamal Farak Da’na, 22.
- Mansour Yousef Shiokhi, 24.
- Rabea’ ‘Omar Bashir, 29.
- Haroun Roweidat, 17.
- Hasan Mohammad Roweidi, 19.
- Mohammad Ramadan Shalloudi, 25.
- Mustafa Emad Mheisin, 16. (from Sheikh Jarrah.
