to Rachel, Vittorio, Tom, Angelo

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On June 13, in At Tuwani village, women and men from South Hebron Hills Popular Committee commemorated Rachel Corrie, Vittorio Arrigoni, Tom Hurndall and Angleo Frammartino, who lost their life in Palestine.

Placing a commemorative plaque near At Tuwani clinic, Palestinians also wanted to underline the importance of international presence and their support for the nonviolent popular resistance: a joint struggle carried on by Palestinians, internationals and Israeli peace activists.

During the opening of the commemoration, the mayor of At Tuwani village, the South Hebron Hills Popular Committee, the representative of woman of the area, Abu Qpeita, Luisa Morgantini and international groups spoke and declared their solidarity with the families of the victims.

Cindy and Craig Corrie (parents of Rachel Corrie in skype connection with the event), remarked their solidarity with the daily life resistance of the Palestinians.

As Kifah Adara, representative for the South Hebron Hills woman, said “Because we know the feelings of the victims’ mothers, our message for them is that we share with them this suffering and this feelings, because we are mother too. We are also here to remember the people that have been injured, or who are denied to enter in the country because of their involvement and activism. This action is the lowest that we can give back to them and to their families. We also don’t want to forget the role of internationals in increasing steadfastness and local daily resistance in this area. (…) our message to the occupation is that we do not want to stay in the valleys, we want to climb the top of the mountains”.

After the speeches, the people moved on Khelly hill, in order to open the Freedom Garden, planting olives trees.

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“COME PROMESSO NON VI DIMENTICHEREMO”

per Rachel, Vittorio, Tom e Angelo 

Il 13 Giugno, al villaggio di At Tuwani, donne e uomini del Comitato Popolare delle colline a Sud di Hebron hanno commemorato Rachel Corrie, Vittorio Arrigoni, Tom Hurndall e Angleo Frammartino, che hanno perso la loro vita in Palestina.

Costruendo una lastra commemorativa vicino alla clinica di At Tuwani, i e le palestinesi hanno voluto anche sottolineare l’importanza del supporto e della presenza internazionale per la resistenza popolare nonviolenta: una lotta condivisa portata avanti dai palestinesi, dagli internazionali e dagli attivisti israeliani.

Durante l’apertura, il sindaco di At Tuwani, il Comitato Popolare delle colline a Sud di Hebron, la portavoce delle donne dell’area, Abu Qpeita, Luisa Morgantini e gruppi internazionali hanno manifestato la loro solidarietà alle famiglie delle vittime.

Cindy e Craig Corry (genitori di Rachel Corrie che hanno fatto un intervento via skype) hanno rimarcato la loro solidarietà con la resistenza quotidiana dei e delle Palestinesi.

Come ha detto Kifah Adara, portavoce delle donne delle colline a Sud di Hebron, “dal momento che conosciamo i sentimenti delle madri delle vittime, il nostro messaggio per loro è quello di condividere il loro dolore perché siamo madri anche noi. Vogliamo anche ricordare le persone che sono state ferite o le persone a cui è stato negato l’acceso al Paese per il loro coinvolgimento e attivismo. Questo evento è il minimo che possiamo fare per le vittime e le loro famiglie. Non vogliamo neppure dimenticare il ruolo degli internazionali nel nutrire la determinazione e la resistenza quotidiana in quest’area. (…) il nostro messaggio all’occupazione è quello che non vogliamo rimanere nelle valli, noi vogliamo scalare la vetta delle montagne”.

Dopo gli interventi, tutte le persone si sono recate nella valle di Khelly per inugurare il Freedom Garden e piantare alberi di olivo.

On June 8, International and Palestinian authorities came to the Palestinian Village of Susiya to bring their solidarity and their support to the inhabitants.

During the morning, the international delegation from European Parliament, a representative of United Nation, the prime Palestinian minister Rami Hamdallah and representative of Palestinian Authority from Yatta and Hebron met the people of Susiya to express publicly their position against the demolition plan of the village.

The international authorities declared their concern about the situation in Susiya and about Israeli policy in Area C, where different villages are under threat of demolition and deportation. They also asserted that this situation represent a serious violation of Palestinian human rights.

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UPDATE : 8 Giugno, le autorità internazionali e palestinesi portano il loro supporto e solidarietà al villaggio palestinese di Susiya

L’8 Giugno, le autorità internazionali e palestinesi si sono recati al villaggio palestinese di Susiya per portare la loro solidarietà ed il loro supporto ai suoi abitanti.

Durante la mattinata, una delegazione internazionale del Parlamento Europeo, una rappresentanza delle Nazioni Unite, il primo Ministro Palestinese, Rami Hamdallah, e rappresentanti dell’Autorità Palestinese di Yatta ed Hebron hanno incontrato gli abitanti di Susiya per esprimere pubblicamente la loro posizione contro il piano di demolizione del villaggio.

Le autorità internazionali presenti hanno dichiarato la loro preoccupazione riguardo la situazione di Susiya e circa la politica israeliana in Area C, dove ci sono diversi villaggi sotto minaccia di demolizione e deportazione. Hanno anche dichiarato che questa situazione rappresenta una seria violazione dei diritti umani per i Palestinesi.

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On May 14, an Israeli military training took place on a Palestinian- owned fields, near to the Palestinian Village of Jinba, on Masafer Yatta, in Firing Zone 918.

During the training, Palestinian inhabitants suffered destruction of their owned fields and a restriction on freedom of movement. A part of their cultivated fields were damaged by military activities and the shepherds had to herd their flock in a limited area. Because of this, Palestinians suffered the consequences of a loss in their familiar economy.

According to the international law, Israeli Army violated the rights of the population of the occupied territory:

– Article 46 of Huauge Declaration states that the private property must be respected and can’t be confiscated;

– Article 53 of IVth Geneva Convention asserts that the destruction of private property is forbidden except where it “is rendered absolutely necessary by military operation”. This necessity clearly refers to combat situation. So a military training cannot be justified because it does not constituted a military need and for that reason the destruction of the fields is unlawful.

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UPDATE : Trainings militari danneggiano il raccolto nel villaggio plaestinese di Jinba, South Hebron Hills

Il 14 Maggio, su campi palestinesi vicino al villaggio di Jimba, Masafer Yatta, Firing Zone 918, si è svolta un’esercitazione militare dell’esercito israeliano.

Durante l’esercitazione, gli abitanti del villaggio hanno subito danni alle loro terre e limitazioni alla loro libertà di movimento. Infatti una parte dei campi coltivati è stata danneggiata e i pastori sono stati costretti a far pascolare i loro greggi in aree limitate. Questo rappresenta per i palestinesi una perdita nella loro economia di sussistenza familiare.

Secondo la legge internazionale, l’esercito israeliano ha violato i diritti delle popolazioni dei territori occupati:

-Art. 46 della Convenzione dell’Aia, dichiara che la proprietà privata deve essere rispettata e non può essere confiscata;

– Art. 53 della IV Convenzione di Ginevra, afferma che la distruzione della proprietà privata è vietata tranne in caso in cui è assolutamente necessaria per operazioni militari. Questa necessità fa chiaramente riferimento ad un contesto di guerra. Le esercitazioni militari non sono quindi giustificate e non costituiscono una necessità militare e per questa ragione la distruzione delle terre è illegale.

On May 16, Palestinians from South Hebron Hills and from different popular Struggle Committee of all West Bank, Israeli an international activists, gathered in Susiya village (that is suffering for the imminent eviction’s threat) in order to demonstrate their solidarity with the villagers.

The demonstration was also to remember the Nakba of 1948, when an estimated 700,000 Palestinians were expelled  from their own land and hundreds of Palestinians town and villages were destroyed.

(italian follows)

Il 16 maggio i palestinesi delle Colline a Sud di Hebron e di vari Comitati di Resistenza Popolare da tutta la Cisgiordania, assieme ad attivisti israeliani e internazionali, si sono radunati a Susiya (che è sotto minaccia di demolizione) per manifestare la loro solidarietà verso gli abitanti di questo villaggio.

La manifestazione è stata fatta anche in ricorrenza del memoriale della Nakba del 1948, quando circa 700,000 Palestinesi furono espulsi dalla propria terra e molte delle loro città e villaggi distrutti.

On May 10, at 10:40 am, DCO, accompanied by Israeli Army, delivered the demolition orders for two animal shelters in the Palestinian village of Susiya. The officer also pictured structures belonging to the village as houses,  the school and the recreation ground.

In 1986 the village of Susiya was declared archeological site, its land expropriated and inhabitants were evicted and forced to move in their nearby agricultural land where on 2012, Israel’s Civil Administration distributed demolition orders to over 50 temporary structures.

In 2014 the residents of Susiya, represented by Rabbi for Human Rights, sued for a request to freeze the demolition order’s implementation. In 2015, on May 5,  the Israeli High Court rejected that request, allowing the demolition of the village.

Now the threat to be evicted and deported again, becomes more imminent for the inhabitants  of Susiya.

(italian follows)

Il 10 maggio, alle 10:40 del mattino, la DCO (District Coordination Office), accompagnata dall’esercito israeliano, ha consegnato l’ordine di demolizione a due ricoveri per animali, nel villaggio palestinese di Susiya. L’ufficiale della DCO ha inoltre fotografato doverse strutture del villaggio, come la scuola, il parco giochi e le case.

Nel 1986 il villaggio di Susiya fu dichiarato sito di interesse archeologico. Gli abitanti di conseguenza furono evacuati, le loro terre espropriate, e furono obbligati a ricollocarsi nei propri terreni agricoli limitrofi, dove, nel 2012, l’amministrazione civile israeliana consegnò 50 nuovi ordini di demolizione alle strutture abitative temporanee.

Nel 2014, i palestinesi residenti di Susiya, rappresentati in sede legale dai Rabbini per i Diritti Umani, hanno consegnato una petizione per congelare l’implementazione degli ordini di demolizione. Il 5 maggio 2015, l’alta corte israeliana ha rifiutato questa richiesta, permettendo così la distruzione del villaggio palestinese.

Attualmente, per gli abitanti di Susiya,  la minaccia di essere sgomberati e deportati nuovamente sta diventando ogni giorno più incombente.

PRESS RELEASE | MAY 5 2015

Israeli state pushes court to take unusual step threatening immediate demolition of entire Palestinian village 

The entire Palestinian village of Susya is in danger of demolition and expulsion. By refusing to issue an interim order preventing preemptive demolitions before their case is heard, the Israeli High Court is allowing for the demolition of the entire Palestinian village of Susya and subsequent expulsion of its 340 residents. The refusal of the State to commit to not demolishing before the conclusion of proceedings suggests it has plans to destroy the village in the near future.  

On one hand, the High Court of Justice is willing to hear the village’s petition to legitimize its status, but on the other hand, the court allows the village to be destroyed before even deciding on the case. 

On May 5 2015, High Court Judge Noam Solberg rejected the request for an interim order by the Palestinian village of Susya, represented by Rabbis for Human Rights, in a petition against the Civil Administration’s decision to reject the master plan prepared by the village and subsequent demolition of the entire village. 

The village argued that their plan was rejected for non-professional reasons and that the village should be legalized due to its unique history.  The residents sought an interim order to freeze the implementation of the demolitions until the petition is heard, as is standard practice in these sort of cases.It was against this request for an interim order that Justice Solberg, without even conducting a hearing on the request, made the unusual move of granting the state’s request not to freeze the orders. This decision means that the Civil Administration can now destroy Susya at any time. The demolition of the village will lead to hundreds of residents living in the desert with no roof over their heads and may result in their displacement. The state’s refusal to commit to waiting for a conclusion to the court proceedings raises great alarm that it intends to implement the demolition order in the near future; tragically, it seems the villagers are in real danger.

In the petition, Susya’s residents claimed that the army is obliged to legalize their village as it was the one to confiscate their land and their caves in 1986, leaving them without a housing solution and forcing them to move to their adjacent agricultural lands. As evidence to the life in the village prior to the expropriation, various testimonials and photographs of life in caves were presented to the judge. Among other things, there were documented photos of a visit by the US Consulate to the village at the beginning of 1986. The photos and testimony clearly shows that the Palestinian village of Susya is an old village formed prior to the Israeli occupation and the declaration of the area as an archaeological site.

Among the evidence was the opinion of the late governmental legal adviser Plia Albeck (considered to be very pro-settlement and who wrote in her memoirs that she tried to find legal ways to declare Palestinian land as State land), indicating the existence of a Palestinian village in 1982 where today the archaeological site stands.

Despite the evidence presented before him, revealing the many injustices done to the villagers – from the expropriation and dispossession of their lands, to the refusal by the state to recognize the status of the village in its new location –  Judge Sohlberg did not  agree to  hear the case before allowing the demolishment the village and setting the fate of its inhabitants.

Attached to the petition, inter alia, was an expert opinion by Prof. Eyal Benvenisti, a renowned expert in international law, stipulating that the demolition of the village of Susya constitutes a war crime.

This week, a report by radical right-wing NGO “Regavim” (which has close ties to the settlement enterprise) was exposed indicating that in the nearby Jewish settlement, also called Susia, there are 23 illegal homes built on private Palestinian land. We have no indication of any attempt by the state to demolish these illegal structures in the settlement Sussia or in its nearby outposts. We see in this current situation that this Jewish settlement, whose very existence is prohibited by international law, and where some of its homes are sitting on private Palestinian land, is prosperous, while the Palestinian village of Susya, whose inhabitants are on their own private land, is at risk of displacement and  loss of their entire village.

Background:

In 1986 the village of Susya was declared an archaeological site, its land expropriated, and its inhabitants, who lived in caves, were deported. While the Palestinians were told that they could not reside in an archeological site, Israeli settlers live in an illegal outpost located inside the archeological site.

After the expulsion, villagers were forced to move to their neighboring agricultural plots. Because there was no willingness to grant a zoning plan, they involuntarily became illegal builders. Dozens of villagers followed procedures in attempts to obtain building permits, but those attempts were rejected. In 2012 the villagers raised funds and submitted a proposed master plan, drawn up by Professor Rassem Khamaiseh, for the Civil Administration for review.  The plan would authorize construction in the village according to accepted standards of professional planning.

The plan was rejected in 2013 on very questionable grounds, indicating a double standard in planning, and blatant discrimination against the Palestinian population. For example, it was argued that the number of residents in the village, which is a few hundred people, is not substantial enough to grant it independent planning as its own entity.  On the other hand, dozens of unauthorized outposts which are built housing only a handful of residents are approved by the Civil Administration’s planning body. In addition, it was argued that the plan will prevent the population from properly developing and moving out of poverty, and therefore, they should be moved to an adjacent city. It should be noted that the city is, of course, in Area A, and what actually prevents the progress of Susya is the lack of infrastructure which they are prevented from building. Also important to note is that Israelis are permitted to choose their preferred way of life – be it urban or rural, and are not forced by the state into one or the other.

In 2014, Rabbis for Human Rights petitioned the High Court on behalf of the Susya village council and its residents against the decision to reject the village master plan (HCJ 1420/14). As mentioned, on May 5th the court rejected the request for an interim injunction, leaving the whole village vulnerable to imminent demolition.

The big picture:

The danger of demolishing and expropriating the village of Susya reflects the systemic problem of planning for Palestinian villages located in Area C; in these villages, planning is done by military planning committees, without representation of Palestinians, with the intent of preventing residents from building on their own land based on reasonable and professional planning standards. A recent High Court petition, submitted by the village council Dirat, Rabbis for Human Rights, Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Society, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, and St. Yves – Catholic Human Rights Center, demands  planning authority be returned to Palestinian villages for their own communities in order to prevent the tragic demolitions of hundreds of homes every year due to the impossibility of obtaining building permits.

Link to the article : Rabbis for Human Rights

On may 2,  a group of 4 adult settlers (one of them armed) harassed one Palestinian with his son, while they were going back home through Humra valley. The settlers waited for them in a close military area for Israeli. The Palestinians decided to call OD volunteers who accompanied them until Meshaha Valley.When the Internationals arrived, the settlers moved to Palestinian village of Kharrouba (that was evicted in 1999) and entered caves and houses.

In the past two days another episode of harassment took place.

On may 1,  2 Palestinians (a 6 years old child, with his sister) were harassed and chased by settlers, while they were going back home to the Palestinian village of Tuba.When Palestinians accompanied by OD volunteers arrived near Shab el Shamsti a group of 6 settlers started to scream and run towards them.The Palestinians got scared and escaped in order to reach a safer place.

This is an alarming trend because the ongoing settlers’ harassment of Palestinians and damage of Palestinian property increases the difficulties and the dangers that inhabitants of South Hebron Hills have to face daily, living under Israeli occupation in area “C”.

(italian follows)

Il due maggio, un gruppo di quattro coloni, di cui uno armato, hanno intimidito un uomo palestinese con suo figlio, mentre stavano tornando a casa percorrendo Humra Valley. I coloni hanno aspettato i palestinesi in una zona militare chiusa per gli israeliani. I palestinesi hanno deciso di chiamare i volontari di Operazione Colomba che li hanno accompagnati fino a Meshaha Valley.Dopo l’arrivo degli internazionali, i coloni si sono spostati verso il villaggio palestinese di Kharrouba (evacuato nel 1999), entrando nelle grotte e nelle case.

Un altro episodio intimidatorio si è verificato negli ultimi due giorni.

Il primo maggio, due palestinesi (un bambino di sei anni con sua sorella) sono stati inseguiti dai coloni, mentre stavano tornando verso casa, al villaggio palestinese di Tuba.Quando i palestinesi, accompagnati da due volontari internazionali di Operazione Colomba, sono arrivati vicino a Shab el Shamsti, un gruppo di sei coloni ha iniziato a urlare e a correre verso di loro.I palestinesi, spaventati, sono scappati per raggiungere un luogo più sicuro.

Questo è un trend preoccupante dal momento che le continue intimidazioni da parte dei coloni, i danneggiamenti alle proprietà palestinesi aumentano notevolmente le difficoltà e i rischi che gli abitanti delle Colline a Sud di Hebron affrontano giornalmente, vivendo sotto l’occupazione israeliana in area “C”.

On April 29, the Israeli Authorities placed an “Area A” sign in the beginning of the street that crosses the Bypass Road 317 and links the village of Tuwani with the village of Al Birkeh.

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Il 29 aprile, le autorità israeliane hanno collocato un cartello di “Area A” all’inizio della strada che incrocia la Bypass Road 317 e collega il villaggio di Tuwani con il villaggio di Al Birkeh.

On April 14, a group of Israeli people arrived in the South Hebron Hills area in order to make a naturalist research. They spent the day looking for flowers, butterflies, insects, behaving like they were in a normal area and not in a military occupied zone.

Actually, they were escorted all the time by a dozen of Israeli soldiers, patrolling the area from the early morning until late afternoon.

The excursion had negative impacts on the Palestinians daily life, as several shepherds had to move away from the area where they were grazing their flocks and some Palestinian properties has been damaged.

Gita nelle colline a sud di Hebron

Il 14 aprile, un gruppo di israeliani si è recato nell’area delle colline a sud di Hebron per effettuare una ricerca naturalistica, trascorrendo l’intera giornata alla ricerca di fiori, farfalle e insetti e comportandosi come se si trovassero in un luogo qualunque e non in territori occupati militarmente.

Di fatto, però, i ricercatori israeliani sono stati scortati per tutto il tempo da una dozzina di soldati, che hanno pattugliato l’aerea dalla prima mattina fino al tardo pomeriggio.

Questa escursione ha avuto impatti negativi sulle attività giornaliere dei palestinesi, poiché molti pastori si sono dovuti spostare in altre aree per pascolare i loro greggi e alcuni proprietà palestinesi sono state danneggiate.