Attachment - Israel Gives

MACHSOM WATCH MID-YEAR REPORT - JULY 2014
This report summarizes our activities during the first half of 2014 and describes critical issues confronting our
organization. MachsomWatch finds itself operating in an environment of intensifying political persecution.
Legislation branding recipients of foreign funding as ‘foreign agents’ that would tax and revoke the non-profit
status of these organizations was recently proposed in the Knesset. This law is an incarnation of similar bills
debated in recent years that are designed to harm organizations that work for government transparency and
accountability in the OPT. On May 27, 2014, MachsomWatch and other human rights organizations were
specifically discussed in an urgent debate in the Knesset’s State Control Committee, called the “Lobby of the
struggle against the delegitimization of Israel”, headed by MK Nissim Ze'ev and initiated by MK Ayelet Shaked.
MachsomWatch was listed as the 10th biggest culprit, according to unknown criteria.
Our major organizational challenge is finding sustainable sources of support for 2015 and the future. MW’s 2014
budget reflected our commitment to a balanced and funded budget, and many initiatives were postponed until
funding is attained. Our development team, aided by the Resource Development Officer, is making great efforts to
seek funding for 2015 when several key supporters will likely end their support.
In 2014, we continue to deal with the SLAPP libel suit dealt by a right-wing legislator designed to limit
MachsomWatch’s free expression. This case, even before being resolved, has in part achieved the aims of limiting
MachsomWatch’s free speech, since it caused us to convene our ORG plenary session to review the way we write
our reports and the content we publish on our social media and website in order to avoid future libel suits that
drain significant time and resources and detract from our ability to do human rights work.
Our volunteers carried out a civil protest against the policy of prolonged administrative detention, which currently
incarcerates approximately 190 Palestinians. Administrative detainees can be held for long periods in military jails
without knowing the charges against them. About 125 administrative detainees were on hunger strike with the
demand to be charged with a crime or released. The lives of 70 of them were in acute danger and were
hospitalized, cuffed to their beds 24 hours a day, under heavy guard. Though the hunger strikers were forbidden to
receive visitors, MachsomWatch women disobeyed and visited detainees in hospital in solidarity, to offer
encouragement, to raise awareness of the situation and to distribute information to hospital personnel, hospital
visitors and to the guards.
Hostilities broke out in June 2014, severely impacting our work. Three Jewish seminary students were kidnapped
in the OPT on June 12, and the IDF operation launched to locate them resulted in increased restrictions of
Palestinian movement and travel, disturbances and unrest. For 11 days during Operation Brother’s Keeper, the IDF
turned over every stone in the West Bank, arresting 350 people, including much of Hamas’ West Bank leadership,
raiding hundreds of homes and institutions with tenuous connections to Hamas, re-arresting 51 Hamas operatives
released in the Shalit prisoner exchange and killing 5 Palestinians who were not involved in the kidnapping. When
the boys’ bodies were discovered, Israeli society, which had been led to believe that the boys were alive, went into
a period of national mourning. Israel was in anguish and grief. The environment quickly deteriorated into antiPalestinian incitement, and hundreds of Israelis rioted in East Jerusalem. This culminated in the brutal murder of
Muhamud Abu-Kheidar by Jewish vigilantes, who kidnapped the boy and burned him alive in a Jerusalem Forest.
When Abu-Kheidar’s body was discovered, hundreds of Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, the OPT, and
Palestinian citizens of Israel, took to the streets, reigniting protests that had been going on throughout the 11 day
military operation in the OPT. Throughout these hostilities, MachsomWatch remained active, going out to the OPT
to monitor the situation on the ground, document travel restrictions, and ease tensions where possible.
Unfortunately, a number of tours and Beach Days planned for this period had to be cancelled. Yet, even with our
volunteers themselves under fire from missiles fired from the Gaza Strip, many of our observations took place as
planned. The summaries below describe our major activities for the first half of 2014.
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CHECKPOINT OBSERVATIONS
855 SHIFTS, 2007 VOLUNTEER SHIFTS
The Jerusalem Enclave
408 shifts, 938 volunteer shifts
MachsomWatch Jerusalem area volunteers travel to 10 locations: Bethlehem
(checkpoint 300), Qalandia, Abu Dis, Zeitim, Sheik Said, A-Ram, Wadi Nar,
Geva, Shuafat refugee camp, Anata, Maccabim and Na’alin on Road 443, and
the Etzion District Coordination Office to observe, monitor and report on
conduct and policies. On a typical day, two-three teams set out to observe
different checkpoints and their surroundings. In the first half of 2014, 408
checkpoint shifts were dispatched by the Jerusalem team, with 2-3 women on
each shift, for a total of 938 volunteer shifts. Morning shifts usually arrive at the
checkpoint from 4-5 a.m. and stay until 8-9 a.m. Afternoon shifts usually arrive
at 2-3p.m. and stay until 5-6 p.m. Reports and photos documenting these visits
are posted on the MachsomWatch website (www.machsomwatch.org).
Paralyzed Palestinian child is
detained at Qalandia Checkpoint,
January 24, 2014
It is no coincidence that MachsomWatch was born in Jerusalem. Palestinian
mobility in the Jerusalem area is severely curtailed by the Separation Barrier
that surround East Jerusalem and severs it from the West Bank. The Separation Barrier unnaturally divides
Palestinian neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem and the surrounding villages from one another and from the cities of
Ramallah and Bethlehem. This is because the barrier’s route shadows the Jerusalem municipal border, and not the
internationally-recognized 1967 Green Line. Placing the barrier along the municipal border ignores the
interdependence of Palestinian families, their sources of livelihood, education and health services that evolved in
the decades when area Palestinians could travel freely regardless of their residency status. The barriers fail to
consider Palestinians’ legal status as holders or Jerusalem residency or Palestinian Authority ID cards. The route
also fails to achieve its own security aims, since it leaves more than 200,000 Palestinians on the "Israeli" side of the
barrier.
Palestinian cities and villages, including Ramallah and Bethlehem, are located just a few kilometers from
Jerusalem's border, but are separated by the barrier. These communities house hundreds of thousands of
Palestinians with close ties to East Jerusalem. Due to a severe housing shortage in East Jerusalem, tens of
thousands of East Jerusalem residents moved to nearby villages. These East Jerusalem residents hold blue Israeli
identity cards yet can no longer access city services due to the barrier. The need to reach East Jerusalem is
especially acute for residents of villages situated east of the city: These villages have a population of over 100,000
and are contiguous with East Jerusalem yet need to navigate numerous obstacles to reach it.
One such entrapped village is Nabi Samuel, which experienced a severe deterioration in early 2014. The village is
trapped inside an invisible cage, locked in by Highway 443, the separation barrier, and the checkpoint and permit
system. The only things preventing the corridor from becoming a Jewish-only zone are the small villages of AlKhalayleh, which has been subjected to harassment and arbitrary demolition by the Israeli army and civil
administration, and Nabi Samuel. MW volunteers have been visiting the village, expressing solidarity by sitting in
the village’s protest tent, and raising awareness of the escalating restrictions on movement, transport of necessities
into the village, and demolition orders.
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Palestinian child
recuperates after surgery
at the Qalandia
Checkpoint, Feb. 2, 2014
The result is a maze of concrete, metal and barbed wire that is suffocating Palestinian
life in the Jerusalem area. The Separation Barrier severs Palestinian communities from
one another, students from schools, people from their sources of livelihood, patients
from medical services, and families from one another. Some 15 checkpoints are
supposed to facilitate Palestinian movement, but crossing is dependent on the
attainment of individual permits for a specific checkpoint, possession of a magnetic
identity card, the absence of closure imposed, freedom from security blacklistings from
both the Israel Security Agency (formally GSS) and the Israeli police, different opening
hours and regulations for each checkpoint, and the whims of the security forces.
Palestinians are often helpless in this Kafka-esque labyrinth. The presence of
MachsomWatch women as observers documents this situation and expedites passage
when possible, as we try to hold the army accountable for its own rules and regulations.
MachsomWatch noted a deterioration of the situation at Qalandia in recent months. In
April 2014, we learned that one man had his leg broken and another had his glasses
broken in the cramped passages of Qalandia. Palestinians asked MW volunteers to bring
television cameras and diplomats to see the situation for themselves. In the past, we have been told that older and
more responsible soldiers will be present at the checkpoint, and that all the inspection stations will be operational
starting from 5 am. Yet, this promise has not been upheld. The result is the deterioration of the checkpoint’s
functioning to the levels we saw two-three years ago, when chaos was the norm.
The Northern West Bank
103 shifts, 206 volunteer shifts
The northern team regularly observes the checkpoints at Barta'a-Reihan, Tura-Shaked, and the agricultural gate
at Anin. Less frequently, the northern team observes the checkpoints at Jalame and Taibe-Romena. In the first
quarter of 2014, the northern team went on 103 shifts in the northern West Bank. Each shift included two women,
to make 206 volunteer shifts. The Barta'a-Reihan Checkpoint allows transit only to vehicles and pedestrians
holding transit permits for that checkpoint. The checkpoint is located on the separation fence, east of East Bartaa, a
Palestinian village severed by the Separation Barrier. It is supposed to enable continuity of the "fabric of life" for
the Palestinians living in the Seam Zone that are cut off from the West Bank. Since 2007, it has been run by a
civilian security company subcontracting to the Defense Ministry. Functioning on the site is a large and
sophisticated terminal, which includes biometric facilities for identification of the palm of the hand, and small
examination rooms to which men and women are taken by random selection. Agricultural produce and other goods
may be transferred from the West Bank to the Seam Zone enclave in limited quantities, by a group of regular
drivers and in prior coordination with the DCO and the army. Since the checkpoint passed into civilian hands, the
Mevo Reihan checkpoint, near the Um Rihan village, has been used as a check point for Palestinians on their way
to the Reihan checkpoint.
The Southern Team - Hebron Region
60 shifts, 120 volunteer shifts
MachsomWatch volunteers monitor and report on human-right violations at checkpoints in the Southern part of
the Occupied Territories, and especially the harassment of the Palestinian civilian population in Hebron (H2) by
the military and the Jewish settlers in Hebron. MW volunteers also monitor villages and hamlets in the Southern
Hebron Hills. These villagers face constant eviction orders and are subject to violence by settler youth.
3
The main checkpoints for entrance into Israel in the South are Tarqumia and SansanaMeitar. Through these checkpoints, thousands of laborers cross each day to work in Israel.
While the passage at Sansana-Meitar is quite decent and efficient, the Tarqumia checkpoint
is a daily humiliating experience for the Palestinians. Palestinians gather at the pre-dawn
hours so as not to lose their employment due to delays. The checkpoint opens at 03:45 a.m.
and Palestinians complain of intolerable treatment. Many Palestinians are turned back, as
their permit is deemed invalid, often arbitrarily. The IDF conducts sporadic checks at the
entrances and exits of towns and villages in the southern Hebron Hills. MachsomWatch
volunteers observe and report on restrictions of movement, long delays and uncertainties
that villagers encounter as a result of these flying checkpoints on their way to work and
school.
Israeli Security at
One of the major events of early 2014 were archaeological excavations in the Tel Rumeida
the Tel Rumedia
Excavations in
neighbourhood on the outskirts of the old city of Hebron. The excavations are conducted by
Hebron, Feb. 10,
Ariel University and the Israeli Ministry of Antiquities, with support from the Israeli Civil
2014
Administration and the Israeli Ministry of Culture and Sports. MachsomWatch volunteers
observed the excavations and expressed solidarity with Palestinian residents who fear that
they will lead to expansion of settlement activity, and further restrictions in the mobility of the Palestinian
residents of the city.
The Central Region
279 Shifts, 733 volunteer shifts
There are over two-dozen Palestinian villages in the central area of the West Bank whose agricultural land is
trapped in the Seam Zone between the Green Line /1967 Borders and the Separation Barrier. In addition to
monitoring the checkpoints and agricultural gates, MachsomWatch teams now visit over twenty villages in order to
learn about the hardships caused by diminished access to agricultural lands. Meetings are held with village leaders
and local council members. On occasion, summary reports are sent to the army’s DCO. Sometimes we are invited to
meet with the DCO to discuss the problems we encounter. Rarely is any action taken by the Israeli authorities.
The Separation Fence isolates the villages from thousands of acres of their farmland. Since 2004, Palestinians need
permits from the Israeli authorities to access land between the Barrier and the Green Line deemed the ‘Seam Zone.’
To apply for or renew a permit, applicants must submit a myriad of documents that are not always available. The
approval rate for barrier permits for 2013 varied from 33 % in Salfit governorate; 46 % in Tulkarm governorate; to
66 % in Qalqiliya governorate. Those farmers who attain a permit to access to their land behind the Barrier must
reach it through a single designated gate. Most gates only open during the olive harvest for a limited time, making
year-round cultivation impossible. 81 agricultural gates were opened during the 2013 olive harvest. Of these, only
nine open daily. Another nine open a few days a week, while 63, open just during the olive season, approximately
45 days. Others agricultural gates are open for a short period only twice a day. Some agricultural gates are located
at a distance from the actual fields, which, in a hilly area are not accessible via donkeys, carts or agricultural
vehicles and can only be reached on foot, making it very hard to cultivate the land or gather the harvest. The village
of Dir Balut, for example, is completely cut off from its lands. For some villages, such as Mes'ha and Ras a-Tira,
the gates open only a few days a year.
Since the land can’t be tended regularly and because of the many restrictions on what plants, seeds or fertilizers
Palestinians are permitted to transport through the agricultural gates, the quantity and variety of produce grown is
greatly diminished. Because the villagers’ ability to farm is compromised, they rely more heavily on the olive
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harvest. Yet, limited allocation of permits and restricted number and opening times of the gates deprive farmers of
utilizing the full agricultural cycle. This severely reduces olive production, which accounts for 25% of the
agricultural income of the OPT. Since year-round farming is now impossible, the olive trees trapped in the seam
zone areas are far less fertile than olive trees on the Palestinian side of the Barrier. Data collected by OCHA in the
northern West Bank since 2010 show that olive trees in the ‘Seam Zone’ have 40-60 % reduction in yield1
compared to equivalent trees on the ‘Palestinian’ side of the Barrier, where Palestinians can farm unhindered.
The Jordan Valley
25 shifts, 70 volunteer shifts.
The Jordan Valley is an area that is largely forgotten. Alongside monitoring the
checkpoints in the area, The Jordan Valley team also collects data and documents
human rights violations in the Palestinian hamlets and villages. In the Jordan Valley,
Israel creates conditions harsh enough to force the local Palestinian population out,
including demolitions, water deprivation, confiscation of property, fines,
harassment, and more. Israel persists in its policy of denying issuing construction
permits throughout Area C in the West Bank and in the Palestinian areas of the
Jordan Valley. All Palestinian building in these areas since 1967 is thus illegal.
Furthermore, 70% of the Jordan Valley area is forbidden to Palestinians, as these
areas have been declared military firing zones, nature reserves or state land.
A child sits on the wreckage of his
demolished tent, February 9, 2014
MachsomWatch teams visiting the Jordan Valley have witnessed the destruction of
homes and the interruption of life for the Palestinian inhabitants. According to the
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Israel demolished
twice as many homes in 2013 than it did in 2012. The entire villages of Makhul and
Um Jamal were demolished by Israeli authorities. Israel then prevented
emergency humanitarian aid from reaching the affected after the demolitions,
leaving the old, the sick and the babies in the burning sun or freezing nights. Under
international law, Israel, as the occupying power, is obligated to enable rapid and
unimpeded delivery of relief to civilians in need. Yet,
Israel has repeatedly not only prevented aid from being
Jordan Valley demolitions,
delivered, but also destroyed and confiscated a
February 9, 2014
significant amount of aid it allowed to be delivered. In
early 2014, The Red Cross suspended distribution of
tents to families whose homes were demolished due to repeated Israeli interference. We
were there to document, support and help where possible. We called on people to donate,
and held a workday to bring the much needed aid purchased from private donations to
rebuild the village. Thankfully, in mid-May, our volunteers witnessed structural
improvements in Makhoul, including the delivery of shower stalls and sinks with running
water. A court will hear their case on June 12, 2014.
Many of the Jordan
Valley Palestinians
whose homes were
demolished have been
displaced multiple times
1
http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_the_humanitarian_monitor_2014_03_19_english.pdf
5
MachsomWatch volunteers witnessed a significant increase in demolitions and
displacement in the Jordan Valley during the past year. The number of Palestinian
structures demolished during 2013 more than doubled compared to 2012, with 390
demolitions in 2013 and 172 in 2012. The number of people displaced also doubled,
with 590 in 2013 and 279 in 2012. In January 2014, over 100 Palestinian structures
were demolished across Area C and East Jerusalem due to lack of Israeli permits,
which are almost impossible to obtain, with some 90 % of these located in the Jordan
Valley.
18 % of the West Bank, or 30 % of Area C, has been designated “firing zones”. There
are 38 Bedouin and herding communities, composed of 6,200 people located within
these areas, and another 50 communities with over 12,000 residents in their
immediate vicinity. Most communities in the “firing zones” have existed for decades,
many of them before these areas were designated “firing zone” by Israeli authorities.
Over half of the 88 communities located within or near “firing zones” are in the Jordan Valley, and the vast
majorities, 77 communities, depend on herding and farming as their main source of income. Currently, more than
1,200 structures in these communities have stop-work or demolition orders, including 330 structures provided as
humanitarian assistance. Seven schools have pending demolition orders, while children in 57 of the 88
communities have to walk over five km to reach a school. There are 10 Israeli settlement outposts located either
partially or completely in “firing zones”.
Roi Settlement Vineyards
trespassing on a declared
“Firing Zone”
MachsomWatch volunteers also witnessed a dance festival in a “firing zone”,
organized by Israelis for Israelis on private Palestinian land, which was attended
by 10,000 people in March 2014. The party was scheduled to last three days,
though it was closed after Israeli settlers complained about the deafening music.
When MachsomWatch inquired about the legality of the party, we were told that
the proper permits had been attained. We wondered from whom, since the
owners of the land had not been asked, yet the Israeli authorities issued a permit
to use land it did not own, land which is located in a “firing zone”, which is
forbidden territory. We spoke with Palestinians who had had their livestock
confiscated and given hefty fines for grazing on that very same land.
Israel persists in its policy of depriving the Palestinians of the Jordan Valley of
sufficient water. 2014 is a drought year, and the fields sowed by Palestinian
farmers in the Jordan Valley dried out. While
Israel’s water policies force
Palestinians to buy water in barrels
Jewish farmers had sufficient water to irrigate
at great cost
their fields, the Palestinians could only watch
their fields turn yellow and then black, burned
by the sun, bearing no crops. We foresee a humanitarian crisis this summer in
the Jordan Valley, because the impoverished population will have nothing to feed
the animals with. They are already selling their livestock at rock bottom prices in
order to have money to buy food.
Last year, year the IDF burnt vast areas in the Jordan Valley in order to prevent
Palestinians from grazing their flocks near Israeli settlements or army bases
(which are surrounded with ‘security belts’ and are out of bounds for
Palestinians, anyway). These ‘controlled’ fires reached a new peak when
hundreds of acres went up in flames in the Um Zuka Nature Reserve. We
estimate that 50% of the reserve area with all its unique flora and fauna were
6
The firing range inside Um Zuka
Nature Reserve, May 2014
tragically destroyed in the fire. Yet, when Palestinians enter the reserve to graze their cattle and sheep, they are
arrested and charged exorbitant fines. Danger of fire is now increased, since construction began on two IDF firing
ranges within the Um Zuka Nature Reserve several months ago. These firing ranges are now operational, and in
mid-May 2014, our volunteers encountered soldiers at firing practice at the completed range, while access to the
‘nature reserve’ had been completely blocked off.
Blacklistings Appeals:
The Blacklisting Phenomena
Entry of Palestinians from the Occupied Palestinian Territories into Israel, settlements or seam zone between the
separation fence and the Green Line requires a permit. This includes entry of Palestinians to work in Israel or in
the settlements, cultivation of their own land that was imprisoned by the Separation Barrier, attaining medical
treatment at Palestinian hospitals in East Jerusalem, reaching Jordan, visiting family, and visiting prisoners.
Tens of thousands of residents of the OPT are blacklisted by the Israel Security Agency (ISA, formerly also known
as the General Security Service). A Palestinian is blacklisted without his or her knowledge or the opportunity to
defend against the decision before it is imposed. The criteria for blacklisting are classified, and no grounds are
cited for the decision. Blacklisted Palestinians only discover they may no longer travel indefinitely when they try to
cross a checkpoint and are refused. They only discover that they have been blacklisted after exhausting inquiries
with their District Coordination Office (DCO). No one informs them if they can challenge the decision or how.
Tens of thousands of other Palestinians are blacklisted by the police, which prevent them from receiving work
permits for Israel, the settlements or seam zone. The vast majority of these individuals were blacklisted for illegal
presence in Israel after having entered the country without a valid work permit. A Palestinian who is arrested for
illegal presence in Israel is barred from entering Israel for 18 months, even if the arrest did not result in charges or
a conviction, even if the case was closed. A Palestinian who is convicted in court of illegal presence in Israel and
sentenced to up to a year in prison is barred from entering Israel for three years. Thus, in addition to their prison
sentence, these individuals are sentenced to the inability to earn a living in Israel. A Palestinian
who was tried but not convicted, or received a sentence other than a jail term, is barred from
entering Israel for two years.
Palestinians can also be administratively blacklisted for working for an employer who is not
listed on their work permit, for owing money to Israelis, and for incurring traffic fines in Israel
or in the OPT by the Israel Police. When Palestinians owe money to Israeli entities, the
backlisting can be removed only after it has been paid, yet these sums often reach thousands
and tens of thousands of shekels, since paying them is also complicated by bureaucratic
problems. There is also a vague provision which allows the police to blacklist Palestinians if the
“police officer believes that allowing this individual to enter Israel raises concern for public
order and safety.”
In 2014, two teams of MachsomWatch volunteers continue to deal with Palestinian workers
and traders who are subject to a sweeping denial of permits by the Israel Security Agency
(formally GSS) and police. The inability to attain permits prevents them from legally earning a
living and condemns a large population to sustained poverty. One of the most important tasks
of our blacklisting teams is providing Palestinians reliable information about their status and
the procedure for challenging the blacklisting. Hundreds continue to turn to us every month to
clarify their status, to learn what documents they need to provide, and how to appeal their
blacklisting according to their circumstances. The information provided by MachsomWatch
7
This father
mourns the death
of his 14-year-old
son killed by
soldiers while
picking plants for
his mother. The
family then had
their work permits
revoked.
volunteers is especially important since the appeal procedure varies according to changing instructions of DCOs,
their area of residence or the arbitrary whims of the authorities. Palestinians often turn to lawyers for this
information, at considerable cost, only to receive incomplete and inaccurate information.
Israel Security Agency (Formally known as General Security Service) Blacklisting Team
MachsomWatch does not doubt that some blacklisted Palestinians pose a genuine security risk, but our experience
working with thousands of blacklisted Palestinians indicates that the vast majority are ordinary people simply
trying to make a living. They are not accused of any crime and the authorities don’t even attempt to arrest or
interrogate them. Most have never been in prison. Many faithfully worked in Israel, sometimes for 20-30 years.
There are whole categories who are considered ‘potential avengers’ that are automatically blacklisted due to the
‘prospect of retaliation’. These include Palestinians whose family members were detained, wounded or killed by
Israeli security forces, who participated in demonstrations, or whose home was demolished. Many Palestinians
who are married to residents of East Jerusalem or Israeli citizens also become blacklisted and the Ministry of
Interior forbids them from residing in Israel with their families. Sometimes, individuals are blacklisted because
they refuse to collaborate with Israeli security agencies.
In the past year, MachsomWatch found that the ISA blacklisting status was removed from 60 % of the applicants
that we know of. In the cases in which court petitions were filed, the preclusion was lifted before the court held a
hearing; perhaps because the ISA had no evidence or because it preferred not to expose their considerations for
imposing the preclusion. The large number of security preclusions that are lifted upon appeal to the authorities or
a petition to the court implies that there is often no real security risk, and that many decisions to impose security
preclusions are groundless.
Police Blacklisting Team
215 Blacklisting Cases Handled
MachsomWatch’s Police Blacklisting Team faithfully continues to assist Palestinians blacklisted by the Israeli
police. Every week, on their shift, they wait at the entrances to several Palestinian villages, to meet people who
come to consult them on police blacklistings. They meet twenty to thirty Palestinians each shift. Their shift is
located on Route 60, between Jerusalem and the southern entrance of Hilhul.
Palestinians blacklisted by the police from all over the West Bank also contact our volunteer team by phone for
advice, then send documents and power of attorney by fax, with which MW volunteers locate their criminal record
to deal with the case for which they have been blacklisted. MW volunteers send their criminal records to an
attorney who advises us to file appeals, or to wait, often years. Our phone is open questions every morning for an
hour, and then afterwards, MW volunteers phone Palestinians to inform them what we discovered about their case,
and consult them on further action.
Our volunteer team prepares blacklisting appeals for those workers and traders who manage to attain the
necessary documents. Applicants submit these requests to the regional DCO and receive confirmation of this
submission with the expected date for an answer, usually after two months. In the DCOs that make it very difficult
to appeal blacklistings, such as Jenin and Qalqilya, Attorney Tamir Blank assists us in the submission of appeals. We
follow up with the public relations officer of the Civil Administration to ensure that the requests people have
submitted are handled and ascertain the answer to their request. We notify applicants if blacklisting status has
8
been removed or if their request was denied, even if the DCO itself informs people, in order to ensure that the
information indeed reaches them.
In the the first half of 2014, MW handled the cases of 215 people. We anticipate that there will be about 100
appeals and several court petitions this year. Yet, few police blacklistings are actually cancelled through the
appeals process. Since 2007, we have offered workers and traders whose blacklisting appeal was denied the
opportunity to appeal that decision in a court petition. Since 2008, Attorney Tamir Blank represents blacklisted
Palestinians in these court petitions. The rate of removal of the blacklisting status in court is about 70 %. Most of
the people whose blacklisting is maintained are brothers of released prisoners - a collective punishment to the
family of released prisoners. The vast majority of court petitioners are ISA blacklisted, and not police backlisted.
The Police Blacklistings Team also continued to track the service provided by the police at DCOs. The police
attitude is characterized by superiority, often offensive, and the information provided is often incomplete or
incorrect. Daily, we ascertain the presence of DCO police officers in Bethlehem and Hebron, since most of our
applicants are from these areas. We assist Palestinians in attaining information, documents needed to appeal police
blacklistings, or police records from the policeman stationed at the DCO’s by telephone and in person.
Another of this team’s pursuits is dealing with fines incurred by Palestinians that cause them to be administratively
blacklisted. These old fines, many incurred before the year 2000, swell to thousands and tens of thousands of
shekels. One of our volunteers handles the tedious haggling in writing with the Fine Collection Center. She bargains
to lower part of the amount and to split it up into payments. The phone at her home is always open to Palestinians
inquiring about this issue. Two of our volunteers track all blacklisting cases and their status. These same
volunteers telephone Palestinians to inform them of developments in their case. Yet another team help the
blacklisted to obtain permits to reach Palestinian hospitals in East Jerusalem or Israeli hospitals. Sometimes, these
are cases of life and death.
Military Court Watch
24 observations, 52 volunteer shifts
MachsomWatch’s civilian presence in the military courts is important for the protection of Palestinian detainees’
rights. Our volunteer team of women who observe the military courts made 25 observations thus far this year. At
Ofer Military Court, 16 observations were made, each by 1-3 volunteers. Seven observations were made at the
Detention Facility in the Russian Compound in Jerusalem, with two women each time. One MW volunteer made an
observation at the Jerusalem Magistrates Court.
Occupation Reality Tours
Tours
49 Tours in English and Hebrew, 963 Participants
MachsomWatch Tours bring Israeli and foreign visitors to the West Bank to show how the Occupation operates on
the other side of the Green Line. Misinformation about the military rule in the OPT is rife, and few know about the
creeping Separation Barrier and the problems it engenders with the creation of Seam Zones. Having Israelis meet
Palestinians in their own villages is effective in sharing the reality we see. We take people to the West Bank and the
Seam Zone, to the Jerusalem Enclave and to the Jordan Valley. The tours are offered in both English and Hebrew. A
new pilot project offers ‘Virtual Tours’ which take place in private homes. Interested participants gather for a
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presentation which includes maps, film clips and a detailed description of MW activities and experience in the field.
MW has welcomed 50 new members to its ranks who decided to join after participation in our tours. Just in the
first four months of 2014, 753 people participated in 37MachsomWatch Tours.
Virtual Tours
Virtual Tours
9 Virtual Tours, 262 Participants
Five Virtual Tours were presented in community centres and private homes. These tours in the form of a lecture
with slides and films brought the conditions in the West Bank without the need to get on a bus for a full day. These
Virtual Tours enable MW to bring the story of the Occupation and the depth of human rights violations it imposes
to a wider audience.
Outreach to Foreign Visitors
23 lectures in Israel, Germany and Italy
1187 Participants
MachsomWatch volunteers are regularly asked to meet with journalists, political tourism groups, religious groups,
student groups and private citizens who are visiting Israel. In addition to meetings in Israel, MachsomWatch
activists take the time to meet and speak to groups during their private trips abroad. The audiences are interested
to learn about the manifestations of the occupation on the ground. Some of the groups want to observe the
procedures at the checkpoints, and we include them in one of our checkpoint observation shifts. The audiences are
varied. They include Amnesty International and their local branches in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria,
Friendship groups with Palestinians and with Israelis, Women in Black in many countries, Dialogue groups,
German Parliament members, Religious peace groups like Pax Christi, pilgrims to the holy land, city partnerships
between German and Palestinian towns, study tours for journalists, official visits of members of the German local
Government, student unions of universities, members of political associations and more. Recently, our members
have begun meeting with hundreds of Jewish American students visiting Israeli on the ‘Birthright’ program. Many
of our members speak different languages and lectures frequently take place in English, German, French, Italian,
Czech and other languages. Just in the first four months of 2014, 1019 people participated in our lectures!
Outreach in Israel
23 lectures in Israel, Germany and Italy
1187 Participants
We launched a series of educational encounters with Israeli high school students and recent graduates. This
program targets Israeli youth as future soldiers who can contribute or detract from peace in their personal actions
and conduct and in their influence on other soldiers should they assume positions of authority. We hope to educate
Israeli youth about the human rights situation in the OPT in order to influence their decisions and conduct as
soldiers, voters, citizens, and decision-makers. We reach out to Israeli youth through schools, youth movements
and kibbutzim. We are particularly interested in reaching young men and women attending pre-military
academies, since they are likely to hold positions of authority in their military service. Just in the first third of 2014,
115 high-school and pre-military academy youth participated in our workshop.
10
Global Media Outreach
MachsomWatch uses the media to influence public opinion about the occupation. We reach out to varied audiences
in many media and languages, in our own media, on our website, Facebook page, our YouTube channel, and in
mainstream media from around the world. We infuse the public agenda with information about the occupation by,
for example, systematically writing talkbacks in relevant Internet articles. One MachsomWatch member writes a
monthly update in the Palestine Chronicle on the situation at checkpoints. MachsomWatch members are frequently
interviewed by academics, students and journalists who are interested in writing about our work, articles about
MachsomWatch’s activities and members appears in the media and in academic research and articles. A complete
list of media coverage either about MachsomWatch or coverage in which MachsomWatch activities are listed on
page 14 Appendix A.
Teaching and Learning in the Palestinian Villages
Activities
with 9 villages
Palestinian Women
Activities
with 3 villages
Palestinian Children
133 Palestinian
Women
Participants
135 Palestinian
Children
Participants
25 MW volunteers
89 meetings
218
volunteer
shifts
10 Israeli volunteers
24 preparation 166
11
Palestinian meetings
volunteer
volunteers
shifts
More than 4 years ago, our members began, in addition to going out to the checkpoints, to enter the West Bank
villages. We began to form relationships with a number of villages. Activities with Palestinian women demonstrate
that there are Israelis who oppose Israel’s occupation. These encounters allow Palestinians to meet Israeli women
to who are not threatening, who do not bear arms, which oppose the occupation and advocate for human rights.
They enable Israeli women to learn more about the life of Palestinians under Occupation, and bear witness to
injustices against Palestinian civilians. They enable Israeli and Palestinian women to disobey the intention of our
governments to completely separate Israelis and Palestinians, and make genuine people-to-people connections.
Activities in the villages center on teaching academic and practical skills. We are greeted
warmly and happily by the Palestinians. Ties are getting stronger. They enjoy learning
languages they need to communicate, the physical activity and the acquisition of skills and
enhanced ability to produce marketable handicrafts for income. We gain a glimpse into
the world of Palestinian women and study their cultural codes along with improving our
knowledge of the Arabic language. This relationship reaches the consciousness of the
husbands and families, and also transmits the message to them that there are Israelis who
know and care about the injustices they face.
Building relationships
with Palestinian
women and children
We recently established a regular framework for teaching English to children ages 8-17. In
Imatin, five of our members and another volunteer teach 80 girls. In Far'ata, a teacher and volunteer teacher
teach 30 children and youth. In Nabi Elias, three of our members teach 60 girls and boys. Classes are held once a
week in a systematic and orderly manner. In each class, the teacher is assisted by either the Palestinian activity
coordinator or a female university student in organizing and conducting classes. Children and teachers express
feelings of exhilaration.
11
We continue our work with the village women alongside the activities with children that began this year. Activities
with women include learning, physical activity and creating handicrafts for sale. This is our fourth year of activity
in Haris. The women asked to add Hebrew language instruction alongside English lessons. 15 women participate
in classes with one MW volunteer teacher. Activities in Kira continues in its fourth year with 20 women in two
groups. One group learns movement and dance, while the second group learns handicrafts.
Earlier this year, we opened programs with women in four villages: Nabi Elias, Imatin, Far'ata and Azzun. Word
of our activities travelled within and between the villages from woman to woman .In Nabi Elias, activities are
conducted in two groups, with two volunteer facilitators. In 2013, our volunteers started teaching women to build
cardboard furniture. The second group learns Hebrew. 15 women participate. In Imatin, we teach Hebrew to a
group of 14 women. Far'ata: Three groups of women study Hebrew, beading and weaving. 25 women participate,
and some participate in two of the groups. There are 4 MW volunteer facilitators. In Azzun, we launched new
activities, handicrafts and yoga instruction, with two groups of women. 20 women participated alongside 4 MW
volunteers. There has been a request to launch activity in Juarish, and we will respond when we have more
volunteers to provide the human resources. supplies and materials for the activities are provided by the teachers.
Website:
15,421 website sessions
9,785 unique users
The web site www.machsomwatch.org is integral to our mission of informing the public about the reality of the
occupation. In 2013, our website underwent a major redesign to make it more accessible and usable, to increase
effectiveness and visibility. The website is updated regularly with reports in English and Hebrew, videos and
photos, on the 30 checkpoints and military courts we monitor. Up to April 30, 2014, 480 Hebrew and 433 English
reports on checkpoint observations and 24 Hebrew and 19 English reports on military court observations were
uploaded to the website. In the first third of 2014, we had 15,421 website sessions, with 9,785 unique users.
Country
Israel
The United States
Germany
The United Kingdom
Palestine
Italy
France
Canada
Switzerland
Spain
Number of Sessions and % of Total
11,730 (76.07%)
887 (5.75%)
405 (2.63%)
331 (2.15%)
314 (2.04%)
282 (1.83%)
233 (1.51%)
142 (0.92%)
99 (0.64%)
87 (0.56%)
Reports added to Website (January-April)
Checkpoint / Hebrew Reports
480
Checkpoint / English Reports
433
Military Court / Hebrew Reports
24
Military Court / English Reports
19
12
New Users and % of Total
6,979 (71.32%)
706 (7.22%)
309 (3.16%)
244 (2.49%)
220 (2.25%)
193 (1.97%)
151 (1.54%)
110 (1.12%)
69 (0.71%)
60 (0.61%)
MachsomWatch FACEBOOK
1851 members
MachsomWatch’s Facebook page, located at: https://www.facebook.com/machsomwatch has 1851 members
and is used to share the most troubling and important incidents MachsomWatch women encounter. Stories and
posted nearly every day, in Hebrew, and occasionally in English. Our Facebook page is viewed by people in Israel
and around the world.
The Fading Valley Film
11
Festivals
Film Screened in Berlin, Leipzig, Paris, Switzerland, Zambia, New York, South Korea
(Seoul), Brazil (Goias), Italy (D’Abruzzo), Spain (Barcelona) and Jerusalem, Tel
Aviv and other cities in Israel,
MachsomWatch’s most recent documentary film, The Fading Valley, directed by Irit Gal, was produced to expose
the systemic water deprivation, land expropriations, home demolitions and mobility obstacles suffered by the
Palestinians of the Jordan Valley under the veil of public ignorance and apathy. MachsomWatch disseminated the
plight of the Jordan Valley Palestinians to hundreds of people in screenings at film festivals around the world. In
2014, The Fading Valley was screened at the International Film Festival du Film Vert in Zurich, Switzerland, The
Green Film Festival in Seoul, South Korea, and the International Environmental Film and Video Festival, in Goiás,
Brazil. We also screened the film for diplomatic staff at the Embassy of Switzerland, activists in Berlin, Germany,
Btselem activists in Israel, and several cafes and galleries in Israel. Additional public screenings are scheduled in
Israel. The Fading Valley was purchased by the libraries at Harvard University, the University of Illinois and
University of Pennsylvania.
Membership
Participation in tours of the West Bank and Jerusalem enclave inspire some women participants to join the
organization. Other new members join us with a special interest in working with women and children in
Palestinian villages, and integrate into the organization through this activity. In the last six months, 22 new
members and three friends of MachsomWatch joined us or the Beach Days project.
The integration process begins as two veteran members meet interested women in small groups of 2-6). The
veteran members present the range of our activities and women choose an area they wish to volunteer in.
Important for us to give them a special escort the first steps, if going out to checkpoints and patrols in the villages,
and if in the villages of meetings with women or children learning English classes.
In recent months, we met with more than 30 women, who are active or in the process of initiation. 13 of them are
volunteering at checkpoints (Hebron, Maccabim – Reut, Eyal and north checkpoints). Eight are active in Palestinian
villages in the central West Bank (Haris, Kira, Azzun, Izbat Tabib, Amtin, Far'ata, Jarish, Nabi Elias). They usually
combine volunteering in people-to-people activities with observations of the various obstacles to movement
around the villages in the area.
20 women among the Friends of MachsomWatch volunteer in the Beach Days project. Four of our new members
are from the North, one from the south, two from Modiin, and 15 are from the center.
13
Beach Days
The Beach Day project has grown over 7 years to include 1400 Palestinian
children and their mothers. This year, we hoped to enable the largest possible
number of children who have never seen the sea to experience the ocean for
the first time. Ocean swimming is a natural experience in our region, yet
Palestinians are prevented from reaching the shore by the Israeli occupation.
The children’s great excitement of seeing the sea, their rare feeling of
freedom, and the encounter with Israeli hosts, expands the heart and inspires
hope for a more peaceful future for Jews and Palestinians. In 2014, we had
planned to take 25 groups to the sea in June and August, since Ramadan takes
place in July this year.
West Bank Palestinians live just miles
away from the Mediterranean Sea, but
many have never been in it.
Unfortunately, a number of planned outings of Palestinian children and their
mothers had to be cancelled due to the outbreak of hostilities following the
kidnapping of the three yeshiva students on June 13, 2014. Of the 11 groups
planned, 7 were able to have their Beach Day. In total, 370 Palestinian children and women participated in the
project so far in 2014.
14
Appendix A: MachsomWatch Media Coverage January – July 2014
Aviva Hay, Haaretz
Letter to the Editor, Annexation of the Jordan Valley
January 2, 2013
http://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/letters/1.2205674
Aviva Hay, Jerusalem Post
Letter to the Editor, The Vote to Annex
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Letters/January-1-The-vote-to-annex-336728
Ilan Sapir, Haaretz
Letter to the Editor, A Useful Visit in the Settlements
http://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/letters/1.220658
Raya Yaron, Haaretz
Letter to the Editor, Power of the Security Network
January 8, 2014
http://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/letters/1.2209960
Tamar Fleishman, Palestine Chronicle
Her Heart has Already Burned
January 14, 2014
http://www.palestinechronicle.com/her-heart-has-already-burned/#.UtUntXn_A_t
Naomi BenZur, Haaretz
This is what a pogrom in Kusara looks like
January 15, 2014
http://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/.premium-1.2218360
Tamar Fleishman, Haaretz
Letter to the Editor, Nightly Terror Raids
January 20, 2014
http://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/letters/1.2221246
Prima Zoom Czeck TV
Unhappy Checkpoint
January, 2014
http://zoom.iprima.cz/nestastny-check-point
Radio y Televisión Española
Palestinians Crossing Jerusalem Checkpoints
January, 2014
http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/telediario/controles-exhautivos-para-obreros-palestinos-cruzanjerusalen/2462340/
15
Tamar Fleishman, Palestine Chronicle
The Story of the Individal is Testimony to the Story of the Public
January 27, 2014
http://www.palestinechronicle.com/the-story-of-the-individual-is-testimony-to-the-story-of-thepublic/#.Uuduc9L8K6Y
Dalia Golomb, Haaretz
Letter to the Editor, Security Classification
January 29, 2014
http://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/letters/1.2229060
Marcia Greenman Lebeau, Jerusalem Post
Letter to the Editor, Different Image
February 10, 2014
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Letters/Letters-February-10-340879
Shlomo Gazit, Haaretz
Op-Ed, Letter to the Civil Administration Commandor in the Occupied Territories
February 12, 2014
http://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/.premium-1.2240952
Tamar Fleishman, Palestinian Chronicle
This is No Oversight, This is a Policy
February 16, 2014
http://www.palestinechronicle.com/this-is-no-oversight-this-is-a-policy/#.UwHmT2KSzj4
Amira Hass, Haaretz
Water Torture for the Palestinians
February 18, 2014
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.574735
Tamar Fleishman, Palestinian Chronicle
Listen to the Mad Man of Qalandiya
February 28, 2014
http://www.palestinechronicle.com/listen-to-the-mad-man-ofqalandiya/#[email protected]
Nicoletta Martelloto, Giornale de Vicenza, Italy
March 8, 2014
Ebrea ortodossa ma sono accanto alle palestinesi
http://www.ilgiornaledivicenza.it/stories/Cultura/666127_ebrea_ortodossa_ma_sono_accanto_alle_palestinesi/
Daniela Yoel
March 8, 2014
Italian TV Interview: @ 7 minutes
http://www.radioreb.org/radio/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=865:8-marzo2014&catid=25:notiziario16
Tamar Fleishman, Palestinian Chronicle
When Nadia’s Soul was Raped
March 11, 2014
http://www.palestinechronicle.com/when-nadias-soul-was-raped/#.Ux-TRD-Szj4
Israel TV, Channel 10
Settler Hanoch Deon meets MachsomWatch volunteers in Hebron
March 3, 2014
Israel TV, Channel 2 State of the Nation
Einav Galili mentions MachsomWatch
March 16, 2014
Yediot Jerusalem
Dudu Avitan interviews MachsomWatch Spokeswoman Raya Yaron
March 21, 2014
Spanish National TV
Special feature about the work of MachsomWatch in Qalandia
March 21, 2014
Tamar Fleishman, Palestinian Chronicle
The man, the lad and the boy: Each person is in himself a sea
March 24, 2014
http://www.palestinechronicle.com/the-man-the-lad-and-the-boy-each-person-is-in-himself-a-sea/#.UzG4g6iSzj4
Yediot Achronot
Interview with MachsomWatch member Edna Kaneti
March 29, 2014
Raya Yaron, Haaretz
Letter to the Editor, No Limits to Creativity
April 19, 2014
http://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/letters/1.2299153
Israel Radio, Channel B, Seder Yom
MachsomWatch is mentioned
May 22, 2014
Aviva Hay, Haaretz
Letter to the Editor,
May 25, 2014, As if for Our Protection
http://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/letters/1.2329184
Raya Yaron, Haaretz
According to the IDF, the Villages will be Destroyed
17
June 05, 2014
http://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/.premium-1.2340789
Art Exhibition in Tel Aviv
Qalandia Photographs by MachsomWatch member Nurit Yarden
June 6, 2014-06-29
Israel TV, Channel 10, London and Kirschenbaum
Danny Dayan discusses participating on a MachsomWatch Tour
June 9, 2014
Israel Radio 103 FM
Guy Zohar interviews Danny Dayan. Dayan discusses participating on a MachsomWatch Tour
June 10, 2014
Danya Cohen, Jerusalem Post
Who’s afraid of Transparency and Accountability
June 11, 2014
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/Whos-afraid-of-transparency-and-accountability-356044
Tamar Fleishman, Haaretz
Letter to the Editor
June 23, 2014, Where are the Humanitarians?
http://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/letters/1.2355908
Oudeh Basharat, Haaretz
MachsomWatch: A light in the Dark
June 23, 2014
http://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/.premium-1.2355976
Tamar Fleishman, Palestinian Chronicle
Reflections at Qalandiya
June 22, 2014
http://www.palestinechronicle.com/reflection-at-qalandiya/#.U6gyIV5zE_t
Tamar Fleishman, Haaretz
Letter to the editor
Where are the Humanitarians?
http://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/letters/1.2355908
Oudeh Basharat, Haaretz
As Israel overturns the West Bank, who will protect the Palestinians
June 24, 2014
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.600704
Dvora Oreg, Haaretz
Letter to the editor
18
A Hidden Line on Both Sides of the Line
June 25, 2014
http://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/letters/1.2357933
Israel Radio, at the Heart of the Nation
Plato Sharon interviews Oudeh Basharat and chastises him for his admiration of MachsomWatch
June 26, 2014
Haaretz, Hebrew
Special Journal presented for the Haaretz Peace Conference
MachsomWatch page
Haaretz, English
Special Journal presented for the Haaretz Peace Conference
MachsomWatch page
June 30, 2014
19