Israeli Forces Kill Beloved Palestinian Doctor and Peace Activist
A 54 year old Palestinian physician who has devoted his life to peacefully resisting the Israeli occupation of his land was killed by IDF forces yesterday, October 21st.
Since the Hebron agreement in 1997, Hashem Azzeh was made to feel like an outsider in his own home.
“The settlers harass us by throwing stones, garbage and sometimes human shit,” Azzeh said in a 2013 interview with the International Solidarity Movement.
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| Bottles of urine were often thrown into Azzeh’s garden |
“The children here, including my own, can’t sleep well at night,” Azzeh continued. “They always expect soldiers or settlers to come and attack. Many children still wet their pants at the age of fourteen and fifteen.”
Despite this, Azzeh fought the occupation by refusing to leave and by helping others in his community. As recently as last July, Azzeh helped a 90 year old woman who was forced out of her home by Israeli forces to not only find shelter, but also assisted her in the long court proceedings to retake her home.
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| Hashem Azzeh and Um Mohammad |
In 2009, Isreali settlers offered Azzeh $20 million to leave his home. When he refused, the military tried to bully him out.
“The settlers who live next to me cut the water pipes that lead to my house,” Azzeh said. “I lived without water for three years.”
“They attacked my wife when she was pregnant with our first child; she lost it in her third month. She was pregnant again but the settlers beat her when she was four months pregnant and she lost that baby as well.”
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| Hashem Azzeh and his wife, Nizreen |
According to Azzeh, over 350 families lived in his neighborhood before the occupation. As of 2013, there were only 48.
“My neighbor is the leader of the Jewish National Front,” Azzeh said. “He has two stickers posted to his wall. One of them says ‘God gave us the right to kill Arabs and we love it.’”
Despite his struggles, Azzeh never advocated hate.
“We are not against Judaism,” Azzeh said. “We are only against the occupation. Every Palestinian has close Jewish friends.”
“He was a medical doctor who had founded a voluntary clinic in his neighborhood,” said Milla Katerina Tuominen, friend of Azzeh. “He was famous for inviting everyone to his house regardless of their religious or ethnic background and served as a perfect example of non-violent resistance despite having faced a lot of violence and hardship himself.”
Azzeh died from “excessive tear gas inhalation.” No disciplinary action has been reported from within the IDF ranks.
To support Hashem’s wife and 4 young children, his friends have started a GoFundMe fundraiser, which can be accessed here.
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| Hashem Azzeh with one of his children |
“For me personally it is clear,” Azzeh said. “I will never move until I die or we get our freedom.”
Over 52 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the past 20 days.
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