THE WAR ON JENIN - In the name of Fighting ‘terrorism’ Israel’s Military have Occupied the Al Tafawk Children’s Centre & Forced the Children onto the Streets

 Israel’s attack on the West Bank is a Continuation of the Genocidal War in Gaza – Ethnic Cleansing and Expulsion is the Zionist Project

If you would like to support the children of Jenin please go to our Crowdfunder

Israeli Occupation Forces Attack Jenin

Lawyer who took Britain to court over arming Israel celebrates victory

For over 4 years the Brighton Trust, has raised funds for the Al Tafawk Children’s Centre in Jenin and for over 4 years Israel’s military has done its best to destroy the Centre.

Twice, in May 2021 and July 2023, the Israeli military have wrecked the interior of the Centre. During the course of these attacks they have destroyed water pipes, toilets, doors and in a demonstration of their savagery, even torn up children’s books. The excuse for the last being that since the children will grow up to be ‘terrorists’ there is no need for them to learn to read.

The Children of Jenin

In July 2023 Israel’s finest went one step further punching holes in the exterior walls. Naturally no compensation is offered for the damage. Even British troops paid compensation during their occupation of the North of Ireland for damage caused in the course of searches.

Israel’s military are immune from the law when it comes to their treatment of Palestinians. It’s only Israeli settlers who are entitled to the benefit of their ‘independent’ judicial system.

The money we raised went towards paying for the teachers’ salaries, food and water – yes water. Unlike the settlers who get free piped water, Palestinians have to buy back the water that Israel has stolen from them.

In July of this year the Israeli military once again wrecked the interior of the Centre. The only thing they didn’t destroy was a picture of me!  I can only assume that their racist logic dictated that they should not damage the picture of a white person.

Al Shifa Hospital Reopens

What makes this worse is that every night the military occupy the homes of the children and force them onto the streets. By occupying the Children’s Centre Israel’s army prevent the children from having anywhere safe to sleep. This is the 'Zionist dream’.

Israeli Military Deliberately Wrecks the Interior of the Al-Tafawk Centre

Next time one of those sensitive Jewish students tells you how upset they are that you have attacked their ‘identity’ by criticising Zionism you might want to ask whether that identity includes killing Palestinian children or perhaps that too would be considered ‘anti-Semitic’ as it would threaten their sensitive and precious feelings.

Israeli Military Deliberately Wrecks the Interior of the Al-Tafawk Centre

The Palestinian Resistance Fights Back

This morning in Hebron, occupied West Bank:

3 Israeli police officers killed in a shooting operation at a checkpoint near Tarqumiya. pic.twitter.com/b8sJmpfyY9

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) September 1, 2024

I have had messages from the staff at the Centre throughout the current attack and I copy some of them below. I have not included names, to protect them and I have not changed the English.

I should add that we have had major difficulties even getting money to the Centre. We used to send money via Western Union but the Israeli military attacked and wrecked the offices of their agents stopping them from doing business anymore.

Israeli Military Deliberately Wrecks the Interior of the Al-Tafawk Centre

In February I tried to send money via my own bank Nationwide. However they blocked it without giving a reason. When I asked them if they would have treated an Israeli children’s centre that way and I accused them institutional racism, I was debanked.

Unlike Nigel Farage my debanking didn’t attract any attention from the popular press. I can only assume that they are only interested when racists are penalised.

When I sent a message saying I’d faxed money via the bank of our charity, The Brighton Trust, I received the following message from a teacher on Wednesday 14 August

Thank you so much. I will let u know when I get it. And will share with you update pictures. Thanks God that we can use the bank cause any transfer through WU solders come and take the money ! Do u think this war would end soon?

We are in our worst of times.

Thank you to all the donors..

All my love 

An injured boy

On Sunday 18 August I got another message

Dear Tony, I visited the bank today, the money didnt arrive yet. I hope they didnt block us again.

On Friday 23 August another volunteer messaged me saying:

Thanks for making me feel better and not forgotten . Yeah i am waiting the time the money arrives. Our situation everyday is getting worse and worse in Jenin and Tulkarm. Me and the children and the most families in the camp leave each night to any safe place . Then in the morning we go home but lots are homeless now. 

Israeli forces destroy 70% of Jenin's roads in the occupied West Bank

The latter refers to the fact that the Israeli army is busy destroying whole streets in the refugee camp and the houses in them. Over 70% of the roads in Jenin Refugee Camp have been destroyed as have many houses. Parts of the camp resemble Gaza City.

We have no words to explain our life and nothing can come to the camp even food water and meds. People cant have the water because all the water supplies are damaged and we cant bring from villages cause it too much expensive. Please send huge thank to the all donors to keep thinking of us even the war is lasting long. We were scared that the world will use to see what we face each day but they dont.

It beggars belief that the British government, a close strategic ally of Israel, has announced a partial suspension of arms licences, at a time when Israel is fighting a war for its very survival on seven fronts forced upon it on the 7th October, and at the very moment when six…

— Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis (@chiefrabbi) September 2, 2024

It beggars belief that a religious leader complains that Israel doesn't have enough weapons with which to kill Palestinians? 

On Tuesday 27 August 24

Dear Tony 

I am writing you while we are widen inside the UN school. The shooting is everywhere and we lost my brother child a week ago. I didn't want to bother you but I can’t say i am ok any more. Every day i lose about 2 children. 

Tony we are feeling so bad, please please all of u dont leave us . We cant talk the most of the time but we are falling apart.

Keep your pressure on the government please.

About 23 of the centre’s children passed away. 

My correspondent refers to her own brother who died as a result of injuries sustained when he was shot.

Messages from the Al Tafawk Centre, Jenin

Thursday 29 August 07.59

Dear Tony 

Good morning, Our situation still the same, but more and more distracted. They force the familes to leave her houses and now we cant stay in schools or hospitals they get us out. I wanted to ask you if the bank reject again your money do we have a problem again?

Keep us in your prayers

 

Saturday 31 August 07.24

This is where live right now ! Even the ambulances couldnt reach us for any help ! 

A lot of our families disappeared and we dont know where they are! Please raise our voice

Saturday 31 August 14.48

The center children while they were inside and forced to leave after they destroy their homes

31 August 15.37

Leaving their homes as they dont have homes anymore. Sadly i heard from people who around the center that the solders use the center to arrest and question people. Me and my family changed from home to other 

Saturday 31 August 17.38

We are using it [the Al-Tafawk Centre] of-course ,but during this four days while we under this horrible attack  the military using it hope they dont ruin it again .We didnt close the center before we were going to feed the children and save them as possible as we can when there is some peaceful time ! Yeah please dont stop helping huge number of children and families without food or water even the hospital without water. Please tell all people now we are the second Gaza. To be honest all of us get rid of the clean water to drink

Monday 2nd September 2024 17.19

I couldn't answer you yesterday sadly my uncle was shot while he was going to have food. So we had to  move to other homes. I had no news about the center but they are still inside it. We are suffring too much about thousand of children and families are homeless. Tony i swear we face days harder than the days we had in 2002 … As we heard from the women who were running with their children that alot of dead bodies inside the camp and no one know about them.. Here the video of my uncle who was shot in front us

The reference to 2002 is to the Second Intifada when Israel invaded Jenin, massacring many people and fighting gun battles with the resistance. It has gone down in history. What is happening now is even worse.

Monday 2nd September 2024 20.03

Thank you so much ! Do they block us as before ? I hope not as they did to us before . 

Here the first video is the way to get to the center. The second video for a child cant believe what we are facing now ! The third video for the solders chasing 3 children were coming to give us bread these children are 14 , 15 and 9 years i sent a picture for one of them

Jenin has been called the Little Gaza and for good reason.

Israel’s pretext for invading the cities of the West Bank and bombing them is that it is fighting ‘terrorism’, i.e. Palestinian resistance. Over the past months there have been a wave of settler attacks on Palestinian farmers

In April Amnesty International wrote that:

Between 12 and 16 April hundreds of Israeli settlers went on a deadly rampage launching violent raids on Palestinian villages in the West Bank including in al-Mughayyir, Duma, Deir Dibwan, Beitin and Aqraba. In these attacks, in which settlers set fire to homes, trees and vehicles, at least four Palestinians were killed by either settlers or Israeli forces, including 17-year-old boy Omar Hamed near Ramallah, and two men shot dead near Nablus– Abdulrahman Bani Fadel and Mohammed Bani Jami’. In the latest violence, a Palestinian paramedic was shot dead in the village of al-Sawiya south of Nablus on 20 April. 

Attack on the village of Jit by Settlers, with Israeli Army Support

On August 16 the Guardian reported on an attack on the village of Jit:

Dozens of Israeli settlers have attacked a Palestinian village near Nablus in the occupied West Bank, killing at least one person, in the latest deadly incident of settler violence amid surging tensions in the Palestinian territory.

What was the Israeli army response?  Did it bomb the settlement that these thugs came from?  Did it round up the settlers for questioning?  Not a bit of it. They stood around and let it proceed.

Palestinians regularly accuse Israeli security forces of standing by and allowing groups of settlers to attack their houses and villages in assaults that have attracted increasing concern internationally.

BBC - settler attack on village nr Qalqiya - 1 person killed - Army does nothing

The BBC had a similar report on an attack on a village near Qalqilya. Again a Palestinian was killed. The Israeli military did nothing for an hour before eventually intervening after the damage was done.

Of course Netanyahu and Israeli leaders went through the motions of criticising what happened but strangely enough they didn’t seal of the settlement where the murderers came from. They didn’t demolish the settlement and shoot randomly because of course the settlers are Jewish and the Palestinians are the regular target of the Police and army too.  As a Palestinian spokesperson said:

“These condemnations [by Israeli leaders] are viewed as performative by the Palestinian public, because the track record is [that] the investigations go nowhere, nobody is prosecuted, nobody is held to account, and these settlers can count on the full support of members of the government to protect them.”

The UN said on Wednesday that it had recorded around 1,250 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 7 October, external. About 120 of those attacks led to people being killed or injured, and 1,000 led to property damage.

Strangely enough the West and Biden have done absolutely nothing apart from token ‘sanctions’ on a few settlers. There hasn’t been condemnation at the UN or the cutting of aid or a demand that the settler terrorists be brought to book. Because the settlers and the Israeli government are on the same side.

However, as we saw today, Palestinians in the West Bank are resisting. Three Israeli police were killed in a well-planned ambush. No-one should mourn the loss of those who enable Israel’s pogroms.

Tony Greenstein

If you would like to support the children of Jenin please go to our Crowdfunder

See Palestinian children in the West Bank are also under attack on the first attack on the Al Tafawk Centre in 2021 and

Palestinian children in the West Bank are also under attack on the 2023 attack and Israel Lays Siege to Jenin Hospitals: On-the-Ground Report From the West Bank