AL-KHALIL (HEBRON): Spring Newsletter 2018

Hasan – the Principal of al-Ibrahimi Boys School

Al-Ibrahimi Boys School is located near the Ibrahimi mosque and the Palestinian neighborhoods of Qitoun, Salaymeh and the Old City. Qitoun checkpoint, Salaymeh checkpoint and the Mosque checkpoint are all situated close to the school. The majority of students and teachers come to school through Qitoun checkpoint on their way to al-Ibrahimi Boys School. The school is located on streets where Palestinians are only allowed to walk and are prohibited from driving on. Below are the words of Hassan after he answered the question “What is it like for you as a Principal to go through the checkpoint everyday?” Read more…

Reflections from a CPTer – Another Child Arrest

How do you live through your child being arrested? How does a child reintegrate into society after spending time in prison? In Israeli military prisons?
He was one of the teenagers arrested back in Summer. 16 years old, he was considered an adult under the Israeli military court system, but under international law, he is still regarded as a child. I remember the night he was arrested. I was on my days off at a Palestinian concert with my colleague. The two of us had a great time at the concert. But on arrival back at our hostel that night, we found out the news; that this 16-year-old, one of the boys we saw each day as we went about our work, was arrested. He was one of the 300 Palestinian children imprisoned in Israeli military prisons in June 2017. Read more…

For further information on school related incidents, see CPTs SchoolSemester Report (August 2017 – January 2018)
For reports related to incidents, see the Incident Report October – December 2017

CPT members continue to maintain regular communication with the community in al-Khalil and the South Hebron Hills. Our many partners continue to be invaluable to the work here. CPT is constantly looking at new ways to continue to engage with the community, so that we can connect with more families in the old city, and other areas of al-Khalil. Read more…

On Thursday, 1st March 2018, around noon-time, Israeli forces increased restrictions and collective punishment on the civilian Palestinian population in the old city of occupied al-Khalil. The increased restrictions were enforced in order to facilitate movement of settlers from the illegal settlements. This led to Palestinians being stuck and detained at checkpoints, including students and kindergarten children on their way home. The routine-high level restrictions of movement, collective punishment, intimidation and harassment of Palestinians are scaled up even further during Jewish holidays.Read more…

CPT is deeply saddened by the recent killings of the three young Palestinian men, Hamzi al-Zama’ri, Ahmad Nasser Jarrar and Khalid Tayeh, killed by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and Raziel Shevach and Itamar Ben Gal killed by Palestinians, in a two-day period this year, on the 5th and 6th of February. We hope that people are able to look at these crimes through the context of the occupation; that of an armed military occupier (with armed civilian settlers) and that of an occupied people without a military force – and thus not two equal parties. Noting the killings are of separate powers, on one side they are committed by a military force, on the other the murders are committed by individuals. Read More