At-Tuwani Update June 28 - July 7
DAILY ROUTINE
Each day the team accompanied local shepherds as they grazed and wateredtheir flocks in the early morning. Water cisterns throughout the region aredry, except the cisterns nearest to Israeli settlements and military bases.In addition to members of Operation Dove ( called Doves), CPT's partnerorganization in At-Tuwani, CPT members during this period were Angela Davis,Rich Meyer, Heidi Schramm, and Diana Zimmerman.
Wednesday 28 June
Davis and Zimmerman accompanied the shepherds to Bier Jabareen, just belowthe Israeli outpost settlement of Avigail. An Israeli soldier at thesettlement watched. About halfway through the watering process, two settlerboys with a flock of goats approached the cistern but stayed above it,closer to the settlement.
A Palestinian shepherd told the team that recently the High Court inJerusalem ruled that Israeli soldiers must make sure that Palestinians aresafe on their land. (For details of this ruling of 26 June, seewww.acri.org.il.)
Thursday 29 June
Zimmerman and a Dove accompanied Palestinian shepherds to Bier Jabareen. Two settler boys and their goats came near to the cistern but did not interferewith the watering. As the Palestinians headed home, Israeli soldiersapproached the Palestinian shepherds. The soldiers claimed that in thefuture the Palestinians needed a permit to water their flocks at thecistern. The soldiers left after ten minutes.
At 3:45 p.m., a Palestinian from At-Tuwani called and said that settlerswere by his house. By the time Davis, Zimmerman and a Dove arrived, thesettlers were gone. The Palestinian reported that two settlers came fromTel Abu Jundiya (Hill 833) to within about fifty meters of his house andthen returned to the trees. He said that in the morning the same thing hadhappened around 9:00 a.m..
At 5:00 p.m. a Dove saw groups of settlers in several locations in andaround Tel Abu Jundiya (Hill 833). An Israeli friend of the team said thata settler organization had conducted a solidarity tour of the outpost.
Friday 30 June
At 9:15 a.m. Davis and two Doves filmed a settler polluting acistern--between Khoruba and Humra, below Hill 833--by bathing in it.
In the early afternoon, a delegation from Rabbis from Human Rights andTa'ayush came to the nearby village of Qawawis to replace hay bales burnedby settlers. Israeli military and police observed the gathering but did notinterfere.Saturday
1 July 2006
At 7:45 a.m. a Palestinian from At-Tuwani called to say settlers were nearhis house. By the time CPTers and Doves arrived, the settlers had left.The family said two settlers had come close to the home.
At 5:30 p.m. internationals and Palestinians observed settlers walkingaround Hill 833 outpost but the settlers did not approach the village.Sunday
2 July 2006
Davis and two Doves accompanied Palestinian shepherds to Bier Jabareen. AnIsraeli soldier watched from the outpost. At 9:25 a.m., two soldiers camefrom the outpost and spoke with the first soldier. The soldiers then cameto the cistern and spoke in Hebrew with the Palestinian men that werewatering the sheep at that moment. The Palestinian shepherds said thatthe soldiers claimed that the land and the cistern were off-limits toPalestinians. The Palestinians disagreed.
The soldiers made some phone calls then spoke with Palestinians again beforeleaving. The shepherds reported that after checking, soldiers said that thePalestinian shepherds are allowed to water their sheep there but only oneflock at a time may be at the cistern.
Monday3 July 2006
Meyer and a Dove went to Bier Jabareen with Palestinian shepherds to watertheir sheep and goats. After about half the flocks received water, threesoldiers walked down from Avigail and ordered all the shepherds to leave.The Dove talked to the soldiers while Meyer called Israeli advocates, thenMeyer and the Dove waited with the shepherds a hundred meters east of thecistern. An hour later one Israeli soldier returned and said the shepherdscould water their flocks at the cistern, only they should approach frombeside or below, and not cross the ridge to the east any higher than thecistern. By this time the flocks had dispersed, and none returned to thecistern.
Tuesday 4 July 2006
Davis, Meyer and a Dove went to Bier Jabareen in the morning. A settlementsecurity officer and one soldier watched. Once when a herd of sheep waitingtheir turn at the cistern grazed above the cistern, the soldier went to talkto the shepherd. All the flocks received water without further incident.
Around 5:00 p.m. three settlers attacked a Palestinian shepherd from MagaerAl-Abeed, his son and their sheep. The three settlers drove up in a truckthen attacked them with rocks hurled from slingshots. The settlers broketwo sheep's legs and hit the nine-year-old Palestinian boy in his left leg.Meyer called the Israeli police. After thirty minutes, a police jeep withtwo officers arrived in At-Tuwani. When Meyer told the police that thevictims of the attack were in Magaer Al Abeed, not At-Tuwani, the policesaid they are afraid to drive to Magaer Al Abeed. One police officer saidthat the Havot Ma'on settlers are supposed to be evacuated and he "will beglad when they are gone." He said, "We are only two police. We need awhole army to go in there. The settlers will break our windows." They saidthat the victims of the attack needed to come to At-Tuwani to make thereport. Later, the team learned that the police told the victim of theattack the same thing--that they are afraid of the settlers. The victim ofthe attack asked the police, "If you are afraid of the settlers, how do youthink I feel?"
Wednesday 5 July, 2006
Twelve flocks came for water at Bier Jabareen. The settlement soldierwatched from a distance, but no incidents occurred.
At 9:35 a.m. the team received a report that a settler set fire to aPalestinian home near Susiya. Meyer and a Dove went to Susiya. Theyarrived as a police jeep left, and found that the tarp roof had been burnedoff of a stone house. The team learned that the police had arrested theIsraeli settler suspected of lighting the fire.
At 12:20 p.m. two Israeli soldiers delivered an order for a closed militaryzone. The area affected is twenty-four dunams (six acres) at the junction ofthe road from Yatta and route 317. One soldier said the military needed touse some land for forty-five days because they have a "big operation."
Friday 7 July 2006
At 4:45 p.m., Zimmerman, Schramm and a Dove saw Israeli soldiers stoppingPalestinian tractors and vehicles coming from Yatta. These includedvehicles coming to At-Tuwani for a wedding ceremony. The soldiers weredemanding that some drivers take the license plates off their cars.Zimmerman approached the soldiers to ask them to allow the wedding party topass, and a few minutes later the wedding party drove into At-Tuwani,including a few vehicles without license plates. The Israeli soldiers laterallowed the wedding party to return to Yatta without hindrance.
Each day the team accompanied local shepherds as they grazed and wateredtheir flocks in the early morning. Water cisterns throughout the region aredry, except the cisterns nearest to Israeli settlements and military bases.In addition to members of Operation Dove ( called Doves), CPT's partnerorganization in At-Tuwani, CPT members during this period were Angela Davis,Rich Meyer, Heidi Schramm, and Diana Zimmerman.
Wednesday 28 June
Davis and Zimmerman accompanied the shepherds to Bier Jabareen, just belowthe Israeli outpost settlement of Avigail. An Israeli soldier at thesettlement watched. About halfway through the watering process, two settlerboys with a flock of goats approached the cistern but stayed above it,closer to the settlement.
A Palestinian shepherd told the team that recently the High Court inJerusalem ruled that Israeli soldiers must make sure that Palestinians aresafe on their land. (For details of this ruling of 26 June, seewww.acri.org.il.)
Thursday 29 June
Zimmerman and a Dove accompanied Palestinian shepherds to Bier Jabareen. Two settler boys and their goats came near to the cistern but did not interferewith the watering. As the Palestinians headed home, Israeli soldiersapproached the Palestinian shepherds. The soldiers claimed that in thefuture the Palestinians needed a permit to water their flocks at thecistern. The soldiers left after ten minutes.
At 3:45 p.m., a Palestinian from At-Tuwani called and said that settlerswere by his house. By the time Davis, Zimmerman and a Dove arrived, thesettlers were gone. The Palestinian reported that two settlers came fromTel Abu Jundiya (Hill 833) to within about fifty meters of his house andthen returned to the trees. He said that in the morning the same thing hadhappened around 9:00 a.m..
At 5:00 p.m. a Dove saw groups of settlers in several locations in andaround Tel Abu Jundiya (Hill 833). An Israeli friend of the team said thata settler organization had conducted a solidarity tour of the outpost.
Friday 30 June
At 9:15 a.m. Davis and two Doves filmed a settler polluting acistern--between Khoruba and Humra, below Hill 833--by bathing in it.
In the early afternoon, a delegation from Rabbis from Human Rights andTa'ayush came to the nearby village of Qawawis to replace hay bales burnedby settlers. Israeli military and police observed the gathering but did notinterfere.Saturday
1 July 2006
At 7:45 a.m. a Palestinian from At-Tuwani called to say settlers were nearhis house. By the time CPTers and Doves arrived, the settlers had left.The family said two settlers had come close to the home.
At 5:30 p.m. internationals and Palestinians observed settlers walkingaround Hill 833 outpost but the settlers did not approach the village.Sunday
2 July 2006
Davis and two Doves accompanied Palestinian shepherds to Bier Jabareen. AnIsraeli soldier watched from the outpost. At 9:25 a.m., two soldiers camefrom the outpost and spoke with the first soldier. The soldiers then cameto the cistern and spoke in Hebrew with the Palestinian men that werewatering the sheep at that moment. The Palestinian shepherds said thatthe soldiers claimed that the land and the cistern were off-limits toPalestinians. The Palestinians disagreed.
The soldiers made some phone calls then spoke with Palestinians again beforeleaving. The shepherds reported that after checking, soldiers said that thePalestinian shepherds are allowed to water their sheep there but only oneflock at a time may be at the cistern.
Monday3 July 2006
Meyer and a Dove went to Bier Jabareen with Palestinian shepherds to watertheir sheep and goats. After about half the flocks received water, threesoldiers walked down from Avigail and ordered all the shepherds to leave.The Dove talked to the soldiers while Meyer called Israeli advocates, thenMeyer and the Dove waited with the shepherds a hundred meters east of thecistern. An hour later one Israeli soldier returned and said the shepherdscould water their flocks at the cistern, only they should approach frombeside or below, and not cross the ridge to the east any higher than thecistern. By this time the flocks had dispersed, and none returned to thecistern.
Tuesday 4 July 2006
Davis, Meyer and a Dove went to Bier Jabareen in the morning. A settlementsecurity officer and one soldier watched. Once when a herd of sheep waitingtheir turn at the cistern grazed above the cistern, the soldier went to talkto the shepherd. All the flocks received water without further incident.
Around 5:00 p.m. three settlers attacked a Palestinian shepherd from MagaerAl-Abeed, his son and their sheep. The three settlers drove up in a truckthen attacked them with rocks hurled from slingshots. The settlers broketwo sheep's legs and hit the nine-year-old Palestinian boy in his left leg.Meyer called the Israeli police. After thirty minutes, a police jeep withtwo officers arrived in At-Tuwani. When Meyer told the police that thevictims of the attack were in Magaer Al Abeed, not At-Tuwani, the policesaid they are afraid to drive to Magaer Al Abeed. One police officer saidthat the Havot Ma'on settlers are supposed to be evacuated and he "will beglad when they are gone." He said, "We are only two police. We need awhole army to go in there. The settlers will break our windows." They saidthat the victims of the attack needed to come to At-Tuwani to make thereport. Later, the team learned that the police told the victim of theattack the same thing--that they are afraid of the settlers. The victim ofthe attack asked the police, "If you are afraid of the settlers, how do youthink I feel?"
Wednesday 5 July, 2006
Twelve flocks came for water at Bier Jabareen. The settlement soldierwatched from a distance, but no incidents occurred.
At 9:35 a.m. the team received a report that a settler set fire to aPalestinian home near Susiya. Meyer and a Dove went to Susiya. Theyarrived as a police jeep left, and found that the tarp roof had been burnedoff of a stone house. The team learned that the police had arrested theIsraeli settler suspected of lighting the fire.
At 12:20 p.m. two Israeli soldiers delivered an order for a closed militaryzone. The area affected is twenty-four dunams (six acres) at the junction ofthe road from Yatta and route 317. One soldier said the military needed touse some land for forty-five days because they have a "big operation."
Friday 7 July 2006
At 4:45 p.m., Zimmerman, Schramm and a Dove saw Israeli soldiers stoppingPalestinian tractors and vehicles coming from Yatta. These includedvehicles coming to At-Tuwani for a wedding ceremony. The soldiers weredemanding that some drivers take the license plates off their cars.Zimmerman approached the soldiers to ask them to allow the wedding party topass, and a few minutes later the wedding party drove into At-Tuwani,including a few vehicles without license plates. The Israeli soldiers laterallowed the wedding party to return to Yatta without hindrance.
posted by Angela Davis | 9:50 AM
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