AT-TUWANI UPDATE: January 2010

[Note: According to the Geneva Conventions, the International Court of
Justice in the Hague, and numerous United Nations resolutions, all Israeli
settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal. Most
settlement outposts are considered illegal under Israeli law.]

Summary: January 2010 was marked by a month of attacks and harassment from
Israeli military and settlers toward Palestinians living in the South
Hebron Hills. In addition to physical attacks, Israeli military and
settlers also destroyed Palestinian property.

The Israeli military continued to fail in its obligation to escort the
children from Tuba and Maghayir al Abeed to and from school in At-Tuwani
in a safe and timely fashion. In addition, the Israeli military
interfered with Palestinian children and teachers transit from school in
the
Palestinian village of Al Fakheit.

Despite continuing pressure, harassment, and attacks from the Israeli
military and settlers, Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills continued to
organize nonviolent actions and marches to assert their right to land
access and education.

On team during this period: Jan Benvie, Laura Ciaghi, Joy Ellison, Jessica
Fredrick, Sarah MacDonald, Sam Nichols, and members of Operation Dove (OD)

Army and Settlers Harass and Attack Palestinians

Friday 1 January
An Israeli settler and Israeli soldiers harassed children from Maghayir al
Abeed who were grazing their sheep. Later in the day, masked settlers
attacked two Palestinian shepherds from At-Tuwani. Settlers left the
settlement outpost of Havat Ma'on and hurled rocks at the shepherds, while
other settlers were visible from within the outpost. When other
Palestinians and internationals arrived at the scene of the attack, the
settlers withdrew into the outpost.

Thursday 7 January
Israeli soldiers attacked and injured Palestinian shepherds from the Musa
Raba’i family as they grazed their sheep in Humra valley, near At-Tuwani.
One elderly woman, Umm Juma’ Raba’i, and a young woman, Umm Ribhi Raba’i,
who is 2 months pregnant, had to be taken to hospital, suffering from the
effects of tear gas inhalation. Three of the shepherds, Kamaal Raba’i,
Majde Raba’i and Juma’ Raba’i were hospitalized for their injuries, and a
young boy, Ramze Jamaal Raba’i, had his tooth broken. The soldiers also
attacked the internationals accompanying the shepherds and broke a video
camera. (See At-Tuwani Release: Israeli soldiers attack and injure
Palestinian shepherds; arrest Musab Raba’i
<http://www.cpt.org/cptnet/2010/01/08/tuwani-israeli-soldiers-attack-and-injure-\
palestinian-shepherds-and-cpters-arrest->
and and video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u6TF-Dzw8w)

Before leaving the area the soldiers arrested one of the shepherds, Musab
Musa Raba’i. Soldiers took him to a military base near Suseya settlement.
There soldiers struck him in the back, in the face, and slammed him into
walls. After four hours of interrogation and torture, they took Raba’i to
Israeli police station in Kirya Arba settlement. The policemen told Raba'i
that if they ever saw his face again they would kill him. After thirty
minutes, the police tied his hands and feet, blindfolded him, drove him to
a location unknown to him and threw him out of the jeep. (See At-Tuwani
Release: Shepherd tortured for five hours by Israeli soldiers and
police<http://www.cpt.org/cptnet/2010/01/12/tuwani-shepherd-tortured-five-hours-\
israeli-soldiers-and-police>
)

Saturday 2 January
Shortly after midnight, two jeeps of soldiers entered At-Tuwani. The
soldiers went to three families' homes and searched for the home of a
fourth.

Wednesday 6 January
The army came into At-Tuwani shortly after 9pm. Soldiers went switched off
the generator that provides electricity to the village during the evening
and took its keys.

Tuesday 12 January
During the night, the Israeli military erected a tent on a hilltop near
the Palestinian village of Maghayir al Abeed. The next day, Doves observed
two Israeli army hummers, an army jeep, and around 14 soldiers in the
area. According to a Maghayir al Abeed resident, soldiers declared the
area within 300 meters of the tent a closed military zone for one week.
For the rest of the month, soldiers dismantled and re-erected the tent
several times.

Sunday 17 January
Around 4:30 am, the Israeli military stopped a Palestinian driving near
the village of Um Fagarah, shooting at the car and arresting a Palestinian
man. The military stayed in the village until 8:30 am.

Tuesday 26 January
Between fifteen and twenty Israeli settlers from the Israeli settlement of
Ma’on and the Israeli outpost of Havat Ma’on attacked Palestinians in the
village of At-Tuwani. The settlers were accompanied by Israeli soldiers
in three army jeeps and the settlement security agent of Ma’on. One
settler entered Palestinian homes, claiming to be looking for sheep
belonging to him. Villagers from At-Tuwani approached the army,
protesting the settlers coming into their village. They asked the soldiers
to bring the police and conduct a proper, legal search. An Israeli soldier
punched a Palestinian villager, breaking his nose and blacking his eye.
He was hospitalized for his injuries and will require an operation.
Immediately thereafter, Israeli settlers began throwing stones at the
Palestinian villagers while soldiers fired three sound bombs at
Palestinians. (See At-Tuwani Release: Israeli settlers invade At-Tuwani
village, enter Palestinian homes, and throw stones at Palestinians;
Israeli military attacks Palestinian and throw tear
gas<http://www.cpt.org/cptnet/2010/01/27/tuwani-israeli-settlers-and-soldiers-in\
vade-tuwani-attack-and-injure-villagers>)

Army and Settlers Destroy Palestinian Property

Saturday 2 January
After accompanying Palestinian students and teachers traveling to and from
Al Fakheit School, Benvie and the Al Fakheit School principal photographed
the school vehicle that the Israeli military confiscated on December 20th.
(See At-Tuwani Release: Israeli army forces children and teachers to walk
an hour from school after confiscating truck
<http://www.cpt.org/cptnet/2009/12/23/south-hebron-hills-israeli-army-confiscate\
s-truck-forcing-children-and-teachers-wa>)
They found the car in the Israeli military firing zone near Jinba. Part
of the engine had been removed and the headlamps were removed and smashed.
Much of the wiring in the dashboard was removed.

Thursday 14 January
Palestinians discovered that a family-owned olive grove in Khoruba valley
had been recently destroyed. Twenty mature olive trees were broken at
their trunks. The family believes that Israeli settlers from the Ma’on
settlement and Havot Ma’on outpost are responsible for the vandalism. A
Palestinian farmer informed internationals who documented the destruction
that this was the fifth time since 1997 that settlers have destroyed the
olive trees in this grove. (See At-Tuwani Release: Palestinian Olive
Grove Destroyed in the
Night<http://www.cpt.org/cptnet/2010/01/19/tuwani-palestinian-olive-grove-destro\
yed-khoruba-valley>
)

Army Fails to Protect School Children and interferes with their Right to
Education

Sunday, 3 January
The Israeli military detained students and teachers returning from school
in Al Fakheit.

Sunday 10 January
The Israeli military failed to escort Palestinian schoolchildren from Tuba
to school in At-Tuwani in time for end of term exams. The military’s
failure to arrive at the correct time forced the children to wait for over
an hour in an area where they have frequently been attacked by Israeli
settlers. When the children attempted to walk an alternative route without
the military, a masked settler blocked their path. When the children saw
the masked settler walking towards them, the younger ones began to cry and
all the children ran back to Tuba.

Thursday 14 January
The school children waited for almost an hour before the army arrived to
escort them to school. When the army arrived, the jeep stopped before
reaching the appointed pick-up location, leaving the children to walk
unaccompanied in a dangerous area.

Nonviolent Resistance

Saturday 9 January
Tuwani residents organized a march to the Al Fakheit school to draw
attention to the ongoing obstacles children and teachers face when
traveling
to school. Also, the march highlighted the recent confiscation and
destruction of the truck used to transport students and teachers to Al
Fakhit. During the march, the Israeli military declared At-Tuwani a
closed military zone and set up a checkpoint at the entrance to the
village. The Israeli military smashed the window of a car owned by an
At-Tuwani family.
A police officer who participated in the property damage told Ellison
that he was a settler from Hebron.

Sunday 10 January - Tuesday 12 January
Um Fagarah residents successfully plowed land near Avigail settlement.
Neither settlers nor the Israeli military interfered with the farming. A
Palestinian told CPTers he was happy because he has plowed and planted
areas he has been unable to access for a number of years.


Saturday 23 January
At-Tuwani residents organized an olive tree planting demonstration in
response to the recent destruction of an olive grove in Khoruba valley.
(See At-Tuwani Release: Palestinians plant olive trees to protest settler
vandalism, despite Israeli military interventions and arrest of a
journalist<http://www.cpt.org/cptnet/2010/02/03/tuwani-palestinians-plant-olive-\
trees-protest-settler-vandalism-despite-israeli-mi>
) While Palestinian farmers, accompanied by internationals, were planting
olive trees, fifteen settlers approached the area, some carrying
slingshots. Israeli soldiers and police also arrived. The soldiers
informed the Palestinians that the area was a closed military zone,
showing them a map that encompassed a large area south of Havat Ma’on
outpost. Police arrested a Palestinian journalist, saying he had violated
the closed military zone order. The journalist was later released.

During the demonstration in At-Tuwani, shepherds held grazing action near
the village of Tuba. Soldiers detained a teenage shepherd during the
demonstration. He was later released.

Friday 29 and Saturday 30 January
Palestinians from the village of Jinba planted 450 almond trees. The
villagers organized the action to assert their right to access their
privately owned land. In the 1990’s a large area of the land had been
declared “a closed military zone” by the Israeli military and used for
training operations. Since then, Palestinians landowners have not been
able to cultivate their land. During the action, however, the villagers
and internationals were successfully planted the trees on the privately
owned Palestinian land.