Israeli settlers attack Palestinian children, CPTers, on journey home from summer camp

CPTnet
27 July 2008
AT-TUWANI: Israeli settlers attack Palestinian children, CPTers, on journey home from summer camp.

[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.]

At 1:50 pm, on Sunday, 27 July, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian children between the ages of six and fifteen and Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) members Joel Gulledge and Jan Benvie, who were accompanying them as they walked to their village of Tuba. The children had been attending summer camp in At-Tuwani.

As the fourteen children and two CPTers were walking in a valley south of the Havat Ma'on settlement outpost, one masked settler came down the hill, hurling stones with a slingshot. The children and Benvie ran ahead, but saw other stone-throwing settlers approaching them from the opposite side of the valley. None of the stones struck the children, however, and they were able to run to safety.

When the masked settler saw Gulledge filming the attack, he began directing his stones at Gulledge. The settler hit him in the leg with a rock, inflicting an injury that made it impossible for Gulledge to run away. The settler then wrested the camera from him, and began beating him with a rock and the camera. After that, the settler ran off with the camera. Gulledge was treated for his injuries at a hospital in Hebron and then returned to At-Tuwani.

In autumn 2004, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian schoolchildren and At-Tuwani team members-three of whom required hospitalization for their injuries-in the same area as the attack on 27 July. Because of international media coverage of these attacks, the Israeli Knesset recommended that the Israeli military provide a daily escort for the children to go to and from school.
In the past week, the mayor of At-Tuwani has had several meetings with the District Coordination Officer (DCO)-the branch of the Israeli military that deals with civilian matters in the occupied Palestinian territories- in an attempt to arrange a military escort for the children. The DCO told him the children should walk the short, direct route to summer camp, unescorted.

On 22 July, only seven children were willing to risk walking alone to At-Tuwani. They informed the At-Tuwani team that at least eight other children did not attend the summer camp because they were too afraid to walk without a military escort. On the morning of 23 July, the army again refused to escort the children. Three settlers, one of whom was masked and carrying a stick, chased the children while they walked unescorted to the summer camp. After escorting the children on 24-25 July, military personnel informed the At-Tuwani team on 26 July that the army would no longer accompany the children, who were waiting for the army to arrive while four settlers from the Israeli settlement outpost of Havat Ma'on shouted at the children. The personnel would not give the name and brigade of the commander refusing to provide the escort. When the a CPTer explained the current, dangerous situation, the military personnel said, "I don't think the settlers will attack the children."

Photos of the children and CPTers walking the route between At-Tuwani and Tuba today and of Gulledge after the attack are available at http://cpt.org/gallery/album252.

Children and CPTers preparing to walk home from the summer camp. The trees in the background are part of the settlement outpost.

CPTer Joel Gulledge following the attack by Israeli settlers.

"Because I refuse to live in slavery"

My final day in At Tuwani was absolutely perfect. I had set my alarm for 5:30am, hoping to possibly learn from one of the women in the village how to make bread. As soon as my alarm sounded, I groaned and turned it off…what the hell was I thinking getting up at 5:30am?! About 45 minutes later, I heard a rush of feet passing by my bed (everyone sleeps outside during the summer) and a woman screaming, “Foreigners, get up! There are settlers in the valley and young shepherd boys are there with their sheep! Get up!”

I lifted my head to see a crowd of villagers running toward the valley, including a woman who was eight months pregnant. My teammates and I stumbled around to get our stuff: running shoes and cameras. I ran up the hill with Joy and when we reached the top we noticed all of the Palestinians sitting on rocks peering down into the valley, no settlers in sight. Joy and I made our way down and asked some young shepherd boys where the settlers were.

“What are you talking about? There are no settlers here,” they replied.

So, we headed back up the hill, Joy remarking about the ridiculousness of her polar bear pajama pants that had now been introduced to the entire village. We were happy it was merely a “settler drill.”

Come to find out later, one of the woman from the other side of the village thought she had seen three settlers walking down from the settlement Ma'on toward the valley. Such a sight assures harassment and possibly even a beating, so she yelled to her neighbors who immediately dropped their morning chores and ran down, getting others to join them along the way. This is what I love about this village: they refuse to be bullied. It’s common for other villages to hide when settlers come, but At Tuwani comes out in force and lets them know they will not be intimidated. My teammates and I are often just there to document and be a witness to how they are confronting the situation. Despite all they are facing, these people will not bow their heads, and this gives me hope.

That evening, I joined my friend Tala in Ramallah, a world away from At Tuwani. I often say I feel like Ramallah is Las Vegas after coming from the village, and this night was no different. We went to the premier of a new documentary on Palestinian rappers called Slingshot Hip Hop (check out the trailer at www.slingshothiphop.com/trailer). The film introduced us to six different rap/hip hop groups, Palestinians from Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel Proper using their words and beats to express not only their anger and frustration, but also their refusal to let go of hope for their future. Though sitting in Ramallah, the words of these artists transported me back to At Tuwani:

My feet are the roots of the olive tree
Keep on prospering, fathering and renewing branches
Every branch
Grown for peace
Every branch
Under the pressure of occupation
Refusing to give up
So why don’t I have freedom?
Because I refuse to live in slavery.

I Don’t Have Freedom, by Dam

Buckets and Demonstrations

CPTnet
16 July 2008
AT-TUWANI REFLECTION: Buckets and Demonstrations

by Joy Ellison

"Mumkin daloo?"

Every evening when the heat breaks and it's time to draw water from the well, the children of At-Tuwani come to our house and ask us for our bucket. Our bucket is small and gray and exactly the same as every other bucket in the village; I think it's purely the thrill of asking us crazy foreigners "mumkin daloo?" ("Can we have the bucket?") that keeps the kids coming. Usually we hand over the bucket and return to whatever we are doing. But last night, my teammate Sarah politely turned down our young neighbors.

"We're on strike today. We're having a demonstration," she explained. "I'm very sorry, but I can't give you the bucket."

The reason for our daloo (bucket) demonstration was simple. The previous evening, seven-year-old Samih never returned our bucket. He forgot it and left it to spend the night at the well; it did not make its way home until yesterday afternoon. My teammates decided to express our discontent in the firmest and most easily understandable way we could--through non-violent resistance.

The girls asking for our bucket knew immediately what we meant by "demonstration." Here in At-Tuwani the youngest child can tell you about the violence and injustice that the village is facing. Children alert us when the army sets up checkpoints and they have christened our frayed Oscar the Grouch doll "Gadalia" after the armed Israeli settler who threatens their parents routinely. But from the oldest man in the village to the young girls who asked for our bucket, everyone in At-Tuwani also understands how the village is resisting the Israeli occupation. Children observe their parents nonviolently confronting Israeli soldiers. Little boys accompany adults as they graze sheep on their land in defiance of threats made by Israeli settlers. Women clear away roadblocks knowing they might be arrested. Everyone is familiar with nonviolent demonstrations and our neighbors vigorously debate their strategies.

Recently Sarah interviewed one of my favorite little girls for a short video on life in the village. "My name is Amira," my young neighbor said. "I live in At-Tuwani. I love At-Tuwani because...no!" she declared. "I don't love At-Tuwani. There are settlers and soldiers and they always cause problems!" Amira may be well aware of the situation facing her as she grows up, but she is also learning what resistance means under the tutelage of her parents and relatives. A few months ago she sagely informed me, "Wherever they go, soldiers always cause problems. But they don't come to At-Tuwani as often now because the people here are strong." When Amira grows up, whatever challenges her village faces, I'm sure she and her neighbors will be ready to organize nonviolent actions far more powerful than a "mumkin daloo" strike.

CPT reports on the South Hebron HIlls from the last month

I just finished posting all of the CPT reports on things that have happened in the South Hebron Hills since the beginning of June, as well as a couple photos. As you'll notice, I mentioned some of these events in my own personal writing on this blog. These reports can also be found at CPT's website: www.cpt.org/news/cptnet. If you visit the website, there is a way for you to sign up to receive CPT reports via email.

At-Tuwani Update: June 2008

CPTnet
2 July 2008
AT-TUWANI UPDATE: June 2008

[[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: During recent weeks, Palestinians have documented via video threats and violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers in the South Hebron Hills. Settlers have committed these acts both against Palestinians and Palestinian property. Palestinians have passed this footage onto the media, as well as various human rights groups and lawyers who are working to pressure different Israeli bodies and officials to take legal action against the settlers. Including the incidents described in this update, CPT has received information about or witnessed settlers threatening and/or attacking Palestinians and their property ten times during this month. Most of these incidents occurred while Palestinians were grazing sheep. Despite these violent episodes, Palestinian shepherds continued to graze with their flocks in these areas and regularly confronted settler intimidation using the video camera and international accompaniment.

Sunday 1 June 2008
At around 5:00 pm, a settler car had hit five goats out of a flock of eleven, belonging to a man from Ma'in Village. (See 6 June CPTnet release, "Israeli settler kills goats with car in South Hebron Hills.")

Thursday 5 June
At nearly 11:00 a.m., the Israeli military constructed a six-foot tall roadblock on the main road to Yatta. (See 7 June CPTnet release, "Israeli military again blocks main access road in South Hebron Hills.")

Sunday 8 June
Four settlers attacked four Palestinian shepherds grazing near the village of Susiya. Six masked settlers arrived on a tractor, and four got off the tractor and beat an old woman, her husband, her nephew, and nephew's wife with wooden clubs. The old woman was beaten unconscious and taken to the hospital in Beersheva. The old man and his nephew went to the Hospital Al Ahli in Hebron. Paramedics treated the nephew's wife, who filmed the attacks (later used by the media and Israeli police), at the scene. The police who arrived at the scene told the family that it was "probably Arabs" that beat them up. The family lives on the other side of Suseya settlement in Wadi Ijhaash, isolated from the other Susiya families by a thirty-minute walk. After the video appeared in international media, the Israeli police took into custody two settlers from Suseya settlement.

Wednesday 11 June
Settlers entered the village of Tuba and accused the villagers of stealing clothing and other things from the Hill 833 outpost settlement (called by the settlers, Havat Ma'on.) Palestinians from the village filmed the settlers as they entered Tuba. The settlers threatened to come back at night, because the Palestinians filmed them, but did not return.

Thursday 18 June
In Mashakha valley, three settlers with slingshots chased a Palestinian shepherd and his sheep. Benvie taped the incident and the Palestinian has secured a lawyer to take up his case with the Israeli police.

Tuesday 24 June
Israeli settlers beat two Palestinians near the village of Qawawis. The two men were hospitalized in Yatta with a rib and an eye injury, respectively. (See 30 June CPTnet release, "Israeli settlers inflict injuries requiring hospitalization on shepherds in South Hebron Hills.")

Thursday 26 June
The Israeli military delivered demolition orders for the newly built cistern in and a house in Tuwani, and four buildings in the Palestinian village of Umm Faggarah. (See 30 June CPTnet release, "Israeli military issues demolition orders and again blocks main access road in South Hebron Hills.")

Friday 27 June
The Israeli military constructed a new barrier on the road from Tuwani to Yatta (See 30 June CPTnet release, "Israeli military issues demolition orders and again blocks main access road in South Hebron Hills.")

Sunday 29 June
Palestinians in Tuba reported that at least ten Israeli settlers from the settlement of Ma'on stole four camels and a baby camel, belonging to nearby Bedouins. The camels roam free during the day and return to the Bedouin village in the evening. The camels' owner has since called the Israeli police, but the camels remain in the possession of Ma'on settlers. A Palestinian from Tuba said two years ago, settlers stole camels from the Bedouin. The military and police got involved, and they supported the settlers, insisting that the Bedouin pay 2,000 NIS for the return of their own camels.

At approximately 5:00 p.m., the Israeli military created another roadblock on alternative route Palestinian cars were taking to Yatta.