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jenin refugee camp
Israeli Forces Raid Freedom Theatre in West Bank and Arrest Artists
The attack on the internationally renowned cultural center came as Israeli occupation forces stepped up raids on the Jenin Refugee camp in recent days, killing a dozen Palestinians and abducting scores more.
Dec 14, 2023
In what critics are calling part of an effort to destroy Palestinian culture, Israeli forces on Wednesday raided the Freedom Theatre in the Jenin refugee camp in the illegally occupied West Bank and subsequently kidnapped three of the renowned playhouse's staff members.
Freedom Theatre associate director Zoey Lafferty wrote for The New Arab that Israeli occupation forces ransacked the internationally renowned cultural center shortly after 9:00 a.m. local time Wednesday. Lafferty said Israeli troops tore apart the theater's office and knocked down a wall, firing weapons from inside the building.
Israeli troops then went to the homes of artistic director Ahmed Tobasi and producer Mustafa Sheta and blindfolded, handcuffed, and abducted them. Hours later, they also kidnapped and "severely beat" Jamal Abu Joas, a recently graduated acting student.
"For decades, Palestinian artists have been arbitrarily detained by Israel, sometimes for years, who also target and destroy cultural buildings, a war crime under international law."
Tobasi, who says he was also beaten by his captors, was later released.
"They treated us like animals," he said in a statement following his release. "They are trying to hurt us in any way they can, but it's important we stay strong."
Rasha Seta, Mustafa's wife, said that her husband "was handcuffed and taken in front of our children with no mercy or any consideration to our feelings."
"My children spent their night crying," she added. "We felt so scared without him being around with us. We feel very sad for him being away, especially since we don't know why he was arrested. We call for everyone who can help us to stand with my husband and release him from this occupation."
The raid and arrests follow Israeli forces' killing of three members of Freedom Theatre in recent weeks: 17-year-old Yamen Jarrar, 26-year-old Jehad Naghniyeh, and 30-year-old Mohammed Matahen. In June, occupation forces killed youth theater participants Sadeel Naghnaghia, age 15, and Mahmoud Al-Sadi, who was 17 years old.
"For decades, Palestinian artists have been arbitrarily detained by Israel, sometimes for years, who also target and destroy cultural buildings, a war crime under international law," Freedom Theatre said on Thursday. "In the last few weeks in Gaza, an unprecedented number of writers, poets, theatermakers, and journalists have been killed, including Dr. Refaat Alareer, who was deliberately targeted and murdered."
According to Gaza officials, nearly 19,000 Palestinians—most of them women and children—have been killed by Israeli bombs and bullets since October 7, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel and killed over 1,100 Israelis and others while taking around 240 people hostage. Upward of 1.9 million Gazans—or nearly 90% of the besieged strip's population—have been forcibly displaced. Many critics around the world have accused Israel of perpetrating genocide in Gaza.
The Freedom Theatre stages professional theatre productions; holds theater workshops in the refugee camp, Jenin town, and nearby villages; offers training in acting, pedagogy, and photography; and publishes books, exhibitions, and short films.
"Since we opened our doors in 2006, we have made theater and visual art available to every young person in Jenin refugee camp," the theater's website explains. "Our work has made Jenin refugee camp known in Palestine and internationally for innovative, thought-provoking theater and media productions. We have created a generation of artists and leaders, who one day will be at the forefront of the Palestinian liberation movement."
The Israeli raid and arrests came as occupation forces killed at least a dozen Palestinians in the West Bank during three days of raids on the Jenin refugee camp, which was built in 1953 to house some of the more than 750,000 Arabs ethnically cleansed from other parts of Palestine during the establishment of the modern state of Israel.
Today, around 15,000 Palestinians call the camp home. Jenin has been repeatedly invaded before and during Israel's current war on Gaza due to its residents' robust resistance to Israeli occupation, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and settler colonization. Last month, an Israeli attack on the camp killed two children—one of them just 8 or 9 years old.
This was already the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the Second Intifada, or general uprising, a generation ago. Since October 7, Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed around 280 Palestinians in the territories, with thousands more wounded and close to 4,000 people kidnapped.
"As the genocide continues in Gaza and invasions in Jenin camp happen daily, it is hard to find the line between devastation and hope, loss and defiance, reality and optimism," Lafferty wrote. "What is clear is that Palestinians have managed to unite those around the world of different ages, backgrounds, cultures, and religions, to not only stand up for Palestinian rights and voices, but also our own."
"Through words and creativity, resilience and resistance, Palestinians have taught us how we can build a global Intifada," she added.
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A Visit to Jenin Shows the Consequences of Performative US Policies
The assault in July was executed using weapons from U.S. arms deals, despite tightened restrictions issued by President Joe Biden in February.
Aug 25, 2023
A couple of weeks ago, I visited the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank where a major attack by the Israeli Occupation Forces , or IOF, was carried out in July under the guise of a military operation targeting militants. The two-day raid resulted in the murder of 12 Palestinians, including four children, over 100 wounded, and 3,000 forced to evacuate by the IOF’s indiscriminate violence.
Nearly a month later, there were signs of the invasion everywhere, forcing Palestinians to relive this violence daily. Streets that were destroyed by the IOF remained inaccessible, homes torched by drone strikes were haunting, bullet holes marked almost every home I passed by. The local showing me around, a resident of Jenin refugee camp, informed me that the IOF struck the streets first so that movement would be restricted. The IOF deliberately destroyed the streets of a densely populated refugee camp before attacking it from ground and air.
I witnessed two especially devastating sights that day: Shireen Abu Akleh’s memorial covered in bullet holes, a testament to the relentless violence perpetuated in Jenin, and the graves of the martyrs that this attack produced. The 12 graves were gathered on a small patch of land, with flowers planted on top of them. Some included pictures of the martyrs, revealing how young these so-called “militants” were. I could feel the collective grief for the martyrs in the air. Two young boys were visiting them when we arrived, and those passing by exclaimed, “May God have mercy on them.” The invasion failed to destroy Jenin’s spirit of resistance.
If it’s one thing being Palestinian teaches you, it’s that there is always room to resist, because our personal power is our greatest tool.
Despite the devastation brought on by the occupation, Palestinians continue to have a conviction to live a joyful life. Their vitality somehow made even the occupation digestible. Hearing about Jenin’s spirit of resistance is one thing, but witnessing it in person is another—that is when you understand. You understand that resistance is continuing to live next to your neighbor’s home that was struck by an IOF drone, not allowing the destroyed streets to stop you from walking to prayer; it’s passing by bullet holes in almost every building on your way to visit family. After witnessing these conditions, I wonder what type of attitude towards Israel Palestinians are expected to have. Think about a Palestinian child growing up in these conditions, living amid the destruction of a military raid that left their community members dead, injured, and detained. It is unreasonable to expect that these circumstances would foster a positive attitude towards Israel. In fact, they only fuel the resistance, and Israel is well aware of it, therefore their intentions for the outcome of this “operation” must be investigated.
The erasure of Palestinians is at the core of the Zionist political movement, making Israel a constant threat to Palestinian life. The actions of the IOF make it clear that their goal is to literally target and murder Palestinians who resist against Israel, even if they are children. Furthermore, the nature of this attack, which took place in a densely populated refugee camp, represents Israel’s frequent strategy of collective punishment. It’s used as a way to intimidate and punish all Palestinians in hopes of deterring them from resisting the occupation. The invasion was so brutal and indiscriminate that Palestinians fled in fear for their lives.
Israel cannot hide behind their narrative of Palestinian terrorists, and call their invasions military operations, when at this point in history we’ve seen this language weaponized to downplay Israel’s crimes against humanity time and time again. The world has watched Israel attack and oppress Palestinians for decades, we’ve watched the violent settler colonization of Palestine progress, we are aware of Israel’s genocidal goals. Our governments have witnessed this as well, yet the U.S. government remains a staunch supporter of Israel and consistently violates its own policies while doing so.
The residents of the Jenin refugee camp have been recurrent targets of Israeli military violence, particularly since the second intifada in 2002. The assault in July was executed using weapons from U.S. arms deals, including the Boeing-made Apache helicopter. Despite President Joe Biden’s Conventional Arms Transfer (CAT) policy, which prohibits authorizing arms transfers if the recipient is likely to use them for “grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949,” including violence against children, these deals continue. The Jenin attack resulted in the death of four children, and over 35 children have been killed by Israel this year. The same Apache helicopter used in the July attack was also used in 2002, leading to the killing of 53 Palestinians, the destruction of over 400 homes, and the displacement of more than a quarter of the camp’s population. Despite the use of the Apache helicopter by Israel to breach the Geneva Conventions in 2002, the U.S. government has taken no action to halt future arms sales to Israel. These actions clearly violate both the CAT policy and international law, but the arms deals are still being authorized, implicating the U.S. in the ongoing occupation and emphasizing the lack of accountability.
Biden’s CAT policy was just released February of this year, specifically to include tighter restrictions on arms deals, but somehow Israel is evading accountability yet again. It begs the question, are policies written in a way to allow exceptions when it benefits U.S. interests? The tighter restrictions take form in the language used to define the standards by which the recipient of arm sales will be assessed. The previous policy uses the phrase “actual knowledge,” which Biden replaced with “more likely than not.” This is in reference to the standards by which the recipient of the arms sales will be assessed in their likelihood of using the weapons to commit atrocities. However, in the context of a subjective policy which serves as a guide rather than a prescription of specific outcomes, the difference between “actual knowledge” versus “more likely than not” does not translate into a tangible change in accountability. Furthermore, the U.S. government is given more than enough proof that Israel uses U.S. weapons to commit atrocities when the IOF targets and murders children and the former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett confirms and defends this on BBC. It is clear that even the U.S.’s own policies cannot stop them from aiding ethnic cleansing abroad.
That does not mean that all is hopeless. If it’s one thing being Palestinian teaches you, it’s that there is always room to resist, because our personal power is our greatest tool. As a Palestinian American, I was born into this cause and I bear a responsibility to it twofold. First, in the commitment to the liberation of my people and my land, and second, in the commitment to global peace and liberation, which requires me to hold my own government accountable. As U.S. citizens, and citizens of the world, we all have the responsibility to use our personal and collective power in every capacity we can. If the U.S. writes a subjective policy perpetuating oppressive structures abroad, it is our job to do everything we can to pressure that subjectivity in favor of the oppressed. During my visit to Palestine, the Palestinians there emphasized how important international support is, especially in the U.S. It is our duty to honor that.
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Israeli Forces Kill at Least 8 Palestinians in Massive Assault on West Bank Refugee Camp
"This is how the Israeli government treats Gaza—and now Netanyahu brought it to the occupied West Bank," said one advocacy group. "We demand accountability: End U.S. military funding to Israel now."
Jul 03, 2023
Israeli forces killed at least eight Palestinians and injured dozens on Monday in their latest large-scale raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, deploying hundreds of troops and launching at least 10 drone strikes—the largest aerial attack on the besieged territory in nearly two decades.
Al Jazeera reported that "a convoy of dozens of Israeli armored vehicles also surrounded the refugee camp and launched a ground military operation, causing heavy damage to homes and roads."
Walid al-Omari, Al Jazeera's Jerusalem bureau chief, said that Israeli soldiers are "enforcing a total siege on the camp, while special forces are operating inside the camp, raiding homes, searching them, and arresting many people."
The massive raid drew alarm from human rights groups and the United Nations. Lynn Hastings, the U.N.'s humanitarian coordinator in Palestine, wrote on Twitter early Monday that she was "alarmed by the scale of Israeli forces' operation in Jenin."
"Airstrikes were used in the densely populated refugee camp. Several dead and critically wounded. Access to all injured must be ensured," Hastings added.
The advocacy organization Jewish Voice for Peace said in response to the Jenin raid that "this is how the Israeli government treats Gaza—and now Netanyahu brought it to the occupied West Bank."
"We demand accountability: End U.S. military funding to Israel now," the group tweeted.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the number of Palestinians wounded in the Israeli raid is "on the rise" and demanded a "safe passage to evacuate the wounded and injured."
Monday's raid came just two weeks after Israeli forces killed several Palestinians, including two 15-year-old children, in an attack on the Jenin refugee camp, which Israel's far-right government claims is being used as a "hub" for "terrorist activities." The latest assault also came amid growing settler violence in the West Bank.
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Monday that "we don't have a fight with Palestinians," but with "the proxies of Iran in our region, which is mainly Hamas and Islamic Jihad."
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, for his part, called the raid "a new war crime against our defenseless people."
"Security and stability will not be achieved in the region unless our Palestinian people feel it," said Abbas.
A 60-year-old resident of the Jenin camp told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces fired live ammunition into his home and wounded his 25-year-old niece, who was visiting from Jordan.
"The bullet pierced her leg and went out from the other side," the woman said. "We found at least three bullets on our front door, and others across the walls."
Cohen on Monday denied that the Israeli government, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and packed with extremists, is planning on expanding its Jenin operations to the entire West Bank.
But Amjad Iraqi, a senior editor at +972 Magazine and a Palestinian citizen of Israel, warned last week that "far from being one-off incidents, the aerial assaults [on Jenin] reveal a dangerous phase in the evolution of Israel's occupation."
"Like Gaza, Jenin has long been a center of Palestinian social life and political resistance—and as such, a target of vicious repression," Iraqi wrote. "Gaza is hardly an exception to the rule of Israeli apartheid. Rather, it is the ultimate bantustan—the model for controlling and weakening a native population in a besieged space, using modern weapons and technology, with local rulers to handle their basic needs, at minimal cost to the settler society surrounding them."
"West Bank centers like Jenin and Nablus, already subjected to various forms of closure and invasion, are now catching a glimpse of what is yet to come," he added.
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