Life in the West Bank

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report Thursday September 18, 2003 17:02 by Aron Baker - ISM International Solidarity Movement baker_aron at hotmail dot com Balata Refugee camp, Nablus, West Bank (087) 2895036

Report from Nablus ending Wed 17th

Report of my first week back here in Palestine, with focus on Nablus and ISM work here. News in brief from 10th Sept to 17th.

A lot has happened locally here in Nablus during my first week here. I am now living in Balata refugee camp, in Nablus, in the West Bank
On Wednesday evening, 10th Sept, two young men were shot dead, Mahmud Al-Tirawi (20), and Mohamed Assi (20), at the entrance to the camp, about 250m from here. Three others were also shot, one critically. They were shot at a distance, as they stood around the entrance to the camp, doing nothing wrong. The soldiers who shot them didn’t even know who they were.
On Friday night, 12th Sept soldiers entered the old city section of Nablus and during their “Operation”, shot to death an 82 year old man who glanced out his window at the disturbance below. The Israeli Occupying Force entered Nablus Sunday night Sept 14th, including many soldiers, jeeps and tanks. An advance group of IOF, probably Special Forces entered the old city in a stolen Palestinian car and Volkswagen van. During this incursion one bystander was shot. One of the soldiers used a small boy as a human shield to enter a wanted mans house, where he shot a man before arresting and removing him.
The army has entered Nablus during the past three nights straight, shooting, arresting, killing, injuring and detonating explosives. On Monday night two men were arrested and taken away during the night. They were political activists with Hamas, Iad Abu Zahara (27) and his father (60). On Tuesday night one man was killed during a shoot out, a 19 year old Islamic Jihad member, the house he was in was damaged by the IOF using explosives. ISM has documented and witnessed some of the incursions by the IOF.
During the day members of ISM have been going to monitor various situations and checkpoints. On Sat 13th I went to Saba Tash, a section of road and surrounding area between Nablus and Assira, a village beside the city of Nablus, and found approx. 50 people detained there. They were detained for approx 7 hours before being released. 500m down the road another 50-60 people were detained for approx. 7 hours. At Saba Tash, one Jordanian man was arrested, had his hands tied with cable ties, was blindfolded and taken to an unknown location. At Saba Tash many of the detained where teachers as they were told previously they could pass that way. One woman was 5 months pregnant, another had a small girl with her. One old woman had heart problems and was trying to go to hospital. In addition to being detained all were turned back, including the old woman trying to reach hospital. I again returned to Saba Tash on Tues 16th to find approx 30 people detained. They were detained for various amounts of time, mostly over 3 hours. As some were released, (and turned back), more were detained. A group of 10 men were released after some hours and then redetained 10 minutes later and sent back to be detained for another 2-3 hours. Two men were arrested, cable tied and taken away. This is only one check point of many around Nablus and hundreds around the West Bank.