International Solidarity Movement Press Release

September 10 2002 International Day of Action for Palestinian Children

Palestinian Children Break Curfew and Reclaim Their Education

Hundreds of children, parents and teachers will collectively break an eight month curfew in Nablus this Tuesday in protest at the Israeli Army's continuing occupation of their land, homes and lives.

Palestinian children, due to the ongoing conflict, are deprived of their childhood: their ability to go to school regularly, to play outside or to sleep without fear of soldiers potentially coming and shooting into their house or arresting their parents. Between September 2 2000 – 2002, 412 Palestinian children have been killed, constituting 22% of all Palestinian fatalities. UNICEF figures (March 2002) estimate the number of Palestinian children injured to be around 7000, with about 500 children being permanently disabled.

The Nablus area has been under curfew for eight months, with residents being allowed to leave their homes for an average of 4 hours per week. The lifting of the curfew is erratic and unpredictable. On the first day of the new school term (August 31), curfew was lifted and children could attend their lessons. Curfew has since been re-imposed and children cannot go to school. Children are also affected by the massive process of impoverishment which is a result of the continuous curfew. Many face psychological problems due to their constant state of insecurity and the atrocities they are forced to witness, an example being April 2002 when 400 tanks and 25,000 soldiers occupied Nablus, killing 87 people within four days and shelling the Old City by F-16s to break the strong Palestinian resistance in Nablus area.

Other Palestinian cities, towns and villages are affected by the curfew (in effect a siege) In some, schools cannot open at all, while in others, pupils and teachers are not able to reach school due to military checkpoints that separate Palestinian cities, towns, villages and people from each other. The Israeli army regularly attacks children on their way to school by shooting live ammunition, rubber bullets, stun grenades and tear gas at them. Three students were killed on their way home after buying items for the new school year (a pair of trousers, school bag) by Apache-fired missiles in Tubas. As this situation has been going on for more then two years with no end in sight, a whole generation is severely thrown back in their education, creating a heavy future legacy for Palestinian society.

The demonstration will be a festive celebration of youth and adult resistance to the occupation, demanding that the curfew be lifted in all towns and cities in Palestine, that the children can go to school, and that the Israeli Army leaves Palestinian land permanently. One procession will start at Masakin shabiya and New Askar, 10am and will collect people from Askar and Ballata refugee camps, and a second procession will begin at the main Mosque in the Old City at 11 am. Both processions will join around 11.30 am between the recently destroyed Muhafaza and the Nablus Childhood Happiness Centre to culminate in an open air teach-in and a children's festival with games and music.

Protest activity takes place simultaneously in Gaza. For further information contact Maisa at  yasa_pal@hotmail.com Tel: 059 763 275

Solidarity actions are also expected to take place in the UK, France, Denmark, Finland, Poland and the US. See www.indymedia.org for further details.

For any further information, please contact

00972-59-335271 /  safe_abu_keshek@yahoo.com (Saif)
00972-67-365669 /  fische@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Heidi)
00972-67-394215 /  freelance@mailworks.org (Ewa)