A-Tuwani Update July 18 - 31
During this time period, the team accompanied shepherds from At-Tuwani andsurrounding villages in the early morning. Their activities included grazingtheir flocks and watering them from cisterns next to Israeli settlementoutposts.
During this period on several occasions (22 and 27 July), Israeli soldiersresponded to settler invasions of Palestinian land by removing or trying toremove the Palestinians from their own land. These actions are incontravention of the recent High Court ruling that Israeli soldiers have anobligation to protect Palestinians on their land and that removingPalestinians is not an acceptable alternative to restricting the settlersand protecting the Palestinians.
In addition to members of Operation Dove (the Doves), Christian PeacemakerTeam (CPT) members on the project during this time were Angela Davis,Maureen Jack, Rich Meyer, Heidi Schramm, Diana Zimmerman and a guest ofCPT.
Tuesday 18 July 2006
While accompanying shepherds at a cistern near the settlement outpost ofAvigail, Zimmerman and a Dove encountered some settler boys from the outpostwith their flock of goats. The boys grazed their animals on Palestinianland. A soldier posted at the outpost watched the boys but did not stopthem.
Thursday 20 July
A lawyer from ACRI (Association for Civil Rights in Israel) who is workingwith the people of At-Tuwani called to find out if the roadblocks blockingthe access to Yatta remained in place.
According to the lawyer, the Israeli Army assured her that they moved theblocks to allow a donkey to pass the roadblock easily. Davis walked down tothe roadblock, but nothing was changed. She took pictures and sent them tothe lawyer.
The entire team spent the whole evening and a sizable part of the nightparticipating in a large village wedding celebration.
Friday 21 July
The wedding party continued with CPT and Operation Dove in attendance.
Saturday 22 July
Jack and Zimmerman attended an action sponsored by the Israeli peace groupTa'ayush at the Palestinian village of Susiya. Palestinians, Israelis andInternationals gathered to clean up a house burned by a settler on 5 Julyand to replace the tarp roof. About an hour after the work started fiveyoung settler boys approached the area. They ranged in age fromapproximately nine to eighteen. Although they were not visibly armed, theyhad articles of clothing wrapped around their heads, obscuring their faces.The leader of the boys demanded that the group move out of the area. Shortlyafterwards the army arrived and asked the group of Palestinians, Israelisand Internationals to back up a bit. One soldier said "Please do thisbecause the settlers are upset and this will make them happy." The groupreturned to the work of cleaning up the house and ignored the settler boys.The soldiers remained and prevented the boys from walking among theparticipants of the action. After about an hour, the boys left the area.
Sunday 23 July
Just before noon the team received word that a police jeep was in At-Tuwanivillage near the school. When they arrived on the scene, the Israeli policewere cutting the license plates off the car of a man from the village. Theyalso told the man who owned the car to come with them to the police station.The police would not say why they were taking the man with them, but did saythat he was not under arrest.
The team later heard that the police fined the man 1000 shekels(approximately $225 U.S.) for driving on the settler road. Because theopening by At Tuwani is blocked, the man drove his car from Yatta to theclosest opening in the wall, which is two kilometers from At-Tuwani. Afterdriving through the opening he drove the two kilometers to the village. Thepolice claimed that he did not have the right to use the road and fined him.
Tuesday 25 July
In the morning Davis received a call that the army was in the nearby cavevillage of Mufakara. When Davis and a Dove arrived fifteen minutes later,the army was leaving the village. According to members of the village, asettler from Avigail came close to the village to graze his goats onPalestinian land and asked the army to protect him. The settler also leftsoon after the internationals arrived.
Thursday 27 July
Davis and Jack along with two Doves accompanied a shepherd in Khorubavalley, an area outside At Tuwani where settlers frequently harassPalestinians. While they were there, some settlers, along with a settlementsecurity officer from Ma'on observed them. A bit later some soldiersarrived and after speaking with the settlement security officer, approachedthe group.
The soldier acknowledged that the shepherd was on Palestinian land but thought that the Palestinians should leave because their presence made the settlers upset. The soldier said that the Palestinians should avoid thearea because the settlers may hurt them.
Friday 28 July
A friend of the team informed them that the Israeli high court heard apetition asking that the roadblocks blocking vehicle access to Yatta to bemoved. The judge promised to rule on the case in a few days.
Sunday 30 July
Meyer, a Dove, and a CPT guest walked to the cave village of Tuba for avisit. On the way there, they took pictures of the new army communicationtower recently constructed near Tuba. According to the residents of Tuba,the generator at the tower is constantly running, keeping them awake atnight.
Monday 31 July
In the afternoon, Meyer, a CPT guest and a Dove visited Susiya Antica, anarcheological dig near the Palestinian village of Susiya. It was the siteof the Palestinian village of Susiya until twenty years ago when the Israelimilitary expelled them. Afterwards the three returned to Susiya and showed amap of the site to a family there. One of the daughters of the familypointed to where her family lived. She was six years old when they wereforced to leave. She is not allowed to go back and see her family's caveand former home, although it is less than one kilometer from the tentvillage where her family now resides.
During this period on several occasions (22 and 27 July), Israeli soldiersresponded to settler invasions of Palestinian land by removing or trying toremove the Palestinians from their own land. These actions are incontravention of the recent High Court ruling that Israeli soldiers have anobligation to protect Palestinians on their land and that removingPalestinians is not an acceptable alternative to restricting the settlersand protecting the Palestinians.
In addition to members of Operation Dove (the Doves), Christian PeacemakerTeam (CPT) members on the project during this time were Angela Davis,Maureen Jack, Rich Meyer, Heidi Schramm, Diana Zimmerman and a guest ofCPT.
Tuesday 18 July 2006
While accompanying shepherds at a cistern near the settlement outpost ofAvigail, Zimmerman and a Dove encountered some settler boys from the outpostwith their flock of goats. The boys grazed their animals on Palestinianland. A soldier posted at the outpost watched the boys but did not stopthem.
Thursday 20 July
A lawyer from ACRI (Association for Civil Rights in Israel) who is workingwith the people of At-Tuwani called to find out if the roadblocks blockingthe access to Yatta remained in place.
According to the lawyer, the Israeli Army assured her that they moved theblocks to allow a donkey to pass the roadblock easily. Davis walked down tothe roadblock, but nothing was changed. She took pictures and sent them tothe lawyer.
The entire team spent the whole evening and a sizable part of the nightparticipating in a large village wedding celebration.
Friday 21 July
The wedding party continued with CPT and Operation Dove in attendance.
Saturday 22 July
Jack and Zimmerman attended an action sponsored by the Israeli peace groupTa'ayush at the Palestinian village of Susiya. Palestinians, Israelis andInternationals gathered to clean up a house burned by a settler on 5 Julyand to replace the tarp roof. About an hour after the work started fiveyoung settler boys approached the area. They ranged in age fromapproximately nine to eighteen. Although they were not visibly armed, theyhad articles of clothing wrapped around their heads, obscuring their faces.The leader of the boys demanded that the group move out of the area. Shortlyafterwards the army arrived and asked the group of Palestinians, Israelisand Internationals to back up a bit. One soldier said "Please do thisbecause the settlers are upset and this will make them happy." The groupreturned to the work of cleaning up the house and ignored the settler boys.The soldiers remained and prevented the boys from walking among theparticipants of the action. After about an hour, the boys left the area.
Sunday 23 July
Just before noon the team received word that a police jeep was in At-Tuwanivillage near the school. When they arrived on the scene, the Israeli policewere cutting the license plates off the car of a man from the village. Theyalso told the man who owned the car to come with them to the police station.The police would not say why they were taking the man with them, but did saythat he was not under arrest.
The team later heard that the police fined the man 1000 shekels(approximately $225 U.S.) for driving on the settler road. Because theopening by At Tuwani is blocked, the man drove his car from Yatta to theclosest opening in the wall, which is two kilometers from At-Tuwani. Afterdriving through the opening he drove the two kilometers to the village. Thepolice claimed that he did not have the right to use the road and fined him.
Tuesday 25 July
In the morning Davis received a call that the army was in the nearby cavevillage of Mufakara. When Davis and a Dove arrived fifteen minutes later,the army was leaving the village. According to members of the village, asettler from Avigail came close to the village to graze his goats onPalestinian land and asked the army to protect him. The settler also leftsoon after the internationals arrived.
Thursday 27 July
Davis and Jack along with two Doves accompanied a shepherd in Khorubavalley, an area outside At Tuwani where settlers frequently harassPalestinians. While they were there, some settlers, along with a settlementsecurity officer from Ma'on observed them. A bit later some soldiersarrived and after speaking with the settlement security officer, approachedthe group.
The soldier acknowledged that the shepherd was on Palestinian land but thought that the Palestinians should leave because their presence made the settlers upset. The soldier said that the Palestinians should avoid thearea because the settlers may hurt them.
Friday 28 July
A friend of the team informed them that the Israeli high court heard apetition asking that the roadblocks blocking vehicle access to Yatta to bemoved. The judge promised to rule on the case in a few days.
Sunday 30 July
Meyer, a Dove, and a CPT guest walked to the cave village of Tuba for avisit. On the way there, they took pictures of the new army communicationtower recently constructed near Tuba. According to the residents of Tuba,the generator at the tower is constantly running, keeping them awake atnight.
Monday 31 July
In the afternoon, Meyer, a CPT guest and a Dove visited Susiya Antica, anarcheological dig near the Palestinian village of Susiya. It was the siteof the Palestinian village of Susiya until twenty years ago when the Israelimilitary expelled them. Afterwards the three returned to Susiya and showed amap of the site to a family there. One of the daughters of the familypointed to where her family lived. She was six years old when they wereforced to leave. She is not allowed to go back and see her family's caveand former home, although it is less than one kilometer from the tentvillage where her family now resides.
posted by Angela Davis | 2:34 PM
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