Skip to content or view screen version

ISM Reports: Home Occupied By IOF Near Nablus

ISM Media Office c. | 30.05.2003 19:13

The Latest ISM Activist Report


Occupied House Near Nablus
Nablus
Euridice
30 May 03


For four months, beginning on February 2nd, the
Israeli Occupation Forces have been occupying a family
house in Sarah Village.

The father of the family originally built the house in
1963. The family has grown to fourteen people. To
accommodate an eldest son who wished to marry, the
family expanded the house by adding a 2nd floor, which
was completed in December 2002- only to have it
occupied by the IOF two months later. The family has
put a great deal of money and energy into the
enlargement of the house and, with the lack of
available employment, is now in great financial debt.
The only explaination that the family ever received
from the IOF is that the house must be occupied for
"security reasons ".

No document stating the nature of
these "sercurity reasons ", or any other document has
been presented to the family. The family has not been
told when the army will leave the house.

The IOF has overtaken the second floor and the roof,
which leaves only the three rooms of the first floor
for the family 's fourteen members.

The IOF uses the house as an observation post, and as
an unofficial checkpoint. Numerous people have been
brought to the house to be detained, beaten or
tortured. The army often shoots from the house at
persons who have tried to bypass the checkpoint or who
are simply tiling their fields nearby.

The army has not paid for using the house even though
they have been consuming electricity and water and
littering the yard with trash. It is unlikely, even
if the family could afford to pursue this issue in the
courts, that they will be in any way reimbursed for
this violation of their home.

This, and other factors, are having an impact on the
mental health of the family. Imagine having your
neighbours brought to your house to be detained or
beaten by foreign soldiers. These matters mean that
the family 's children cannot properly commit
themselves to their education, and the whole family
has been isolated from the community.

One daughter in particular has been negatively impacted by the occupation. She is in her last year of school and is preparing to enter university, however she is unable to find a quiet place to study. This, coupled with the mental strain of her current situation has caused her marks to drop and her future education has been put into jeopardy.

This kind of harassment of the Palestinian people is
common: several houses are occupied by the IOF, for
longer or shorter periods of time, throughout Occupied Palestine.




Freedom for Palestine- Peace for everyone.



For further information:
Morten Wulff +972 (0)67718851

ISM Media Office c.
- Homepage: www.palsolidarity.org

Comments

Display the following comment

  1. Shot Peace Activist May not Recover — ~