So, it has been a difficult past week. I wanted to write about something funny, something cute, but unfortunately these things have not been so much on my mind as of late. The marathon day I had on Monday really took its toll on me. While out with Palestinian shepherds in the morning, grazing in an area pretty far from the illegal Israeli settlement outpost of Havot Ma'on, a car from the outpost started to drive towards us. The shepherds took off to another hill out of sight of the settlement and we stayed to film the car coming.
When the car arrived, my teammate Laura and I were further down the original hill; though we couldn't see the settlers, we could see a couple rocks being thrown over the side of the hill. One of the shepherds asked us if we could move up a bit and get photos of them throwing rocks, and as we moved up we saw two settlers, one of whom was masked. Laura, tired of running from these guys (this is almost a daily occurrence) decided to walk to meet them and I followed with the camera.
The two Israeli settlers seemed almost caught off guard. The one who was unmasked reached up to put his hand over the camera lense, but promptly removed it and a conversation ensued. I had seen him before, and so had the Palestinian shepherd who was watching us from the other hill. This settler had been responsible for killing five of the shepherd's sheep, with no charges placed against him. The settler told my teammate that this land, all of this land, belonged to him and his fellow Jews as it was given to their fathers and mothers by God. Laura said that even if that was true, why should they harrass and beat Palestinians who are living there as well. He replied very frankly that the Arabs were the ones trying to kill them and that she should read the truth written in the Torah. She replied by saying it is also written in the Torah that one should seek justice as well as truth. He called her stupid and began to walk away.
As they walked back to their car, I could see another settler car approaching. We decided to make our way towards the Palestinian shepherds. As I looked over my shoulder, I noticed the second car arrive and a settler armed with a gun step out of the driver's side. I knew he probably wouldn't shoot at that time since we were there and cameras were rolling. Once we arrived where the shepherds were waiting, they greeted us as if we had come back from the dead. One of them told me he had had his phone ready with the number of the Israeli police (they have jurisdiction in this area), just in case something happened. I smiled, knowing we had each other's back. After the settlers left, the Israeli army arrived (most likely called by the settlers). They didn't approach us, though, and we headed back to the shepherd's cave for a nap and lunch.
This event was only part of that day; the other part included responding to a call about two Israeli settlers from a different settlement outpost beating two Palestinian shepherds. We got the information out in a media release the next day. And then yesterday, the Israeli army built a massive roadblock of stones, blocking people in the villages of the South Hebron Hills from the nearby town of Yatta. I am so tired...but people here keep living and pushing on and I sometimes wonder how they do it without going insane.
I would appreciate thoughts and prayers for people here and for me and my teammates. Not all is gloom and doom, but the systematic oppression in this place has its way of creeping up on you and overwhelming you at times, at least this is what I've been feeling the last few days.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
To a Palestinian Child--Instructions for Living in the South Hebron Hills
CPTnet
21 June 2008
AT-TUWANI REFLECTION: To a Palestinian Child--Instructions for Living in the South Hebron Hills
by Laura Ciaghi
Do not go into nearby orchards to steal cherries. Twenty-five heavily armed adults from the neighboring Israeli settlement may attack your village, screaming, pushing and threatening your parents while soldiers and police stand and watch.
Make sure to have unarmed internationals with you on your way to school. When adult settlers attack you, the internationals might end up as battered as you, but their injuries will give you your only chance to have the media tell your story.
Do not get sick (or try to be born) at inappropriate times such as nights, Jewish holidays, U.S. presidential visits-or when the local military commander has planned a checkpoint between your house and the hospital for no particular reason. You will make the soldiers feel uncomfortable when, following mandatory security policies, they refuse to let you pass by foot or in your parent's arms, because they suspect you may have swallowed a bomb. If you cough, vomit or look sad, you might confirm their suspicions.
Learn by heart some good invocations to chase away bad dreams. When soldiers come to your house in the middle of the night, aim their rifles at your elder brothers whom they have pushed against the wall, and then detonate sounds grenades as a way of saying "goodbye," you will fall asleep again afterwards and wake to be a cute, joyful, polite child the following morning.
21 June 2008
AT-TUWANI REFLECTION: To a Palestinian Child--Instructions for Living in the South Hebron Hills
by Laura Ciaghi
Do not go into nearby orchards to steal cherries. Twenty-five heavily armed adults from the neighboring Israeli settlement may attack your village, screaming, pushing and threatening your parents while soldiers and police stand and watch.
Make sure to have unarmed internationals with you on your way to school. When adult settlers attack you, the internationals might end up as battered as you, but their injuries will give you your only chance to have the media tell your story.
Do not get sick (or try to be born) at inappropriate times such as nights, Jewish holidays, U.S. presidential visits-or when the local military commander has planned a checkpoint between your house and the hospital for no particular reason. You will make the soldiers feel uncomfortable when, following mandatory security policies, they refuse to let you pass by foot or in your parent's arms, because they suspect you may have swallowed a bomb. If you cough, vomit or look sad, you might confirm their suspicions.
Learn by heart some good invocations to chase away bad dreams. When soldiers come to your house in the middle of the night, aim their rifles at your elder brothers whom they have pushed against the wall, and then detonate sounds grenades as a way of saying "goodbye," you will fall asleep again afterwards and wake to be a cute, joyful, polite child the following morning.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Through the Eyes of a Child
So, unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for you) this post is going to be short. I have been lounging around on my break soaking up sitting on couches in my friend Tala's house in Ramallah and time has just flown by. It's funny how a couch can feel like a luxury after living in At Tuwani for almost two weeks. I love the village, but they don't have couches:)
Anyway, there's so much to write about...but I'm just going to choose one short story. In goofing around with the video camera one quiet afternoon, I asked one of the little girls in the village to tell me her name, where she lives, and why she likes living in At Tuwani. Other children had done so and I expected to hear answers about liking the people, enjoying the summer camp, etc. When she got to the part about why she liked the village, it went like this:
"I love Tuwani because...no, I don't like Tuwani because there are the settlers and the army that come to the village."
She said this very matter of factly. A few days before, Israeli soldiers had shown up with two jeeps. My teammate Joy and I went to meet them. They said they had received a call that two sound grenades were found in the village, which was true. These grenades had been used and left after the Israeli army entered the village late one night in May, pulling everyone out of their beds at 1am, lining the men (and some CPTers) against a wall and searching them, while setting off flares and sound grenades during the entire ordeal. We called one of the Palestinians in the village and he helped direct the soldiers to where the two sound grenades were: one in a field where shepherds graze and wheat has been harvested recently, and the other just below the elementary school. The soldiers seemed a bit nervous as they went around, with their guns up and ready to shoot anyone that maybe hiding to ambush them. Children watched as the soldiers successfully removed the used sound grenades and left the village.
Children here are learning a lot from the army incursions and settler attacks that happen in the very place they call home. Fortunately, they are learning more from their parents as far as standing firmly and creatively in the face of such powerful forces. One such lesson came after a shepherd from a nearby village lost three sheep to the gun of a settler a couple months ago. The very next day, every shepherd in the immediate area was out in the same valley with their sheep. They were sending a message that they would not be terrified by such violence. Instead they would respond to it with courage and solidarity.
The little girl's answer to why she liked At Tuwani was very honest, and I am glad to know that despite the bleakness of the situation here people have still not lost their gusto. These are the lessons that will be passed onto the next generation.
Anyway, there's so much to write about...but I'm just going to choose one short story. In goofing around with the video camera one quiet afternoon, I asked one of the little girls in the village to tell me her name, where she lives, and why she likes living in At Tuwani. Other children had done so and I expected to hear answers about liking the people, enjoying the summer camp, etc. When she got to the part about why she liked the village, it went like this:
"I love Tuwani because...no, I don't like Tuwani because there are the settlers and the army that come to the village."
She said this very matter of factly. A few days before, Israeli soldiers had shown up with two jeeps. My teammate Joy and I went to meet them. They said they had received a call that two sound grenades were found in the village, which was true. These grenades had been used and left after the Israeli army entered the village late one night in May, pulling everyone out of their beds at 1am, lining the men (and some CPTers) against a wall and searching them, while setting off flares and sound grenades during the entire ordeal. We called one of the Palestinians in the village and he helped direct the soldiers to where the two sound grenades were: one in a field where shepherds graze and wheat has been harvested recently, and the other just below the elementary school. The soldiers seemed a bit nervous as they went around, with their guns up and ready to shoot anyone that maybe hiding to ambush them. Children watched as the soldiers successfully removed the used sound grenades and left the village.
Children here are learning a lot from the army incursions and settler attacks that happen in the very place they call home. Fortunately, they are learning more from their parents as far as standing firmly and creatively in the face of such powerful forces. One such lesson came after a shepherd from a nearby village lost three sheep to the gun of a settler a couple months ago. The very next day, every shepherd in the immediate area was out in the same valley with their sheep. They were sending a message that they would not be terrified by such violence. Instead they would respond to it with courage and solidarity.
The little girl's answer to why she liked At Tuwani was very honest, and I am glad to know that despite the bleakness of the situation here people have still not lost their gusto. These are the lessons that will be passed onto the next generation.
Showing one of the girls in Tuwani her interview. The photo was taken by her little sister who apparently wasn't too concerned with getting our heads in the picture.
Video on At-Tuwani
Sorry I have been out of communication for a while. I will write something soon about my last week and a half in At-Tuwani and the surrounding villages, but in the meantime please view this video that was put together on nonviolent struggle in the area:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NsesMjWkAl8
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NsesMjWkAl8
Friday, June 6, 2008
Celebration and Mourning
Just wanted to let everyone know I arrived and am heading down from Jerusalem to At Tuwani today. Don't have much time to write anything substantial. There have been so many tourists here the last few days, which I'm guessing is due to celebrations of Israel's 60th anniversary. Israeli flags line the streets of Jerusalem and many Israeli Jewish homes have flags hanging our their windows. There have been fireworks displays every night this past week as well as other events in the city. Palestinian Jerusalemites (Palestinians who live in Eastern Jerusalem and have residence IDs in Israel but are not citizens) seem happy for the business so much tourism brings, but less than ecstatic about the celebrations. Though the celebration of Israel as a state is a happy occassion for many, for Palestinians it is a reminder of 60 years of dispossession. One people's joy is another's pain. I'm interested to go into the West Bank today and see what Palestinians have been doing to commemorate what Israelis call the War of Independence and what Palestinians call the Catastrophe.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Daily Life in the South Hebron Hills
I just ran across this short video clip on B'tselem's (an Israeli human rights organization) website today. It focuses on life in the Palestinian village of Tuba and the harassment against them by the nearby Israeli settlers. Tuba is near Tuwani and I stayed there a couple times to accompany shepherds and document harassment by settlers. There is also footage from after the 2004 attack by masked settlers. They attacked Tuba children and two CPTers who were walking to school.
http://btselem.org/English/Video/200509_Southern_Hebron_Hills.asp
http://btselem.org/English/Video/200509_Southern_Hebron_Hills.asp
Friday, August 10, 2007
All in a Day's Work
CPT's work in the south Hebron Hills as well as the normal events in the area can be difficult to understand. Below you'll find an update CPT sends out about events in At-Tuwani and the surrounding villages. For those of you who don't receive these updates via email, I hope this will give you a better idea of the work we do and the challenges facing people in the area:
AT-TUWANI UPDATE: 11-24 July 2007
Every day during this period, the team accompanied Palestinian shepherds in fields near Israeli settlements and settler outposts. The team monitored several temporary Israeli military checkpoints on the Palestinian road leading from At-Tuwani north to Yatta. On team during this period were members of Operation Dove ( called "Doves") and CPTers Diane Janzen, Sarah Scruggs, Matthew Chandler, and Peggy Gish.
Wednesday 11 July
CPTers Chandler and Janzen monitored a temporary checkpoint on Road 317 in the late afternoon. The soldiers briefly stopped a Palestinian fromAt-Tuwani who later told Janzen the soldiers had yelled at him to run towards them. He had just kept walking, and when he got to the jeep, the soldiers asked him why he did not run and he told them he had already walked two km. When the soldiers saw the CPTers coming down the hill one said,"Here come the sons of bitches."
Friday 13 July
Chandler and Gish walked to Tuba in the morning. About 10:00 a.m., a settler security guard and the Israeli army arrived in the area and told the Tuba shepherds they were on Ma'on land. The soldiers said the shepherds were allowed to be on the farmed land lower in the valley, but not up on the hillside. After several minutes of arguing, some of the Palestinians started to leave the area and the soldiers left with the settler security guard.
Saturday 14 July
In Tuba, the settler security guard and the army came again and told the Palestinians they were on Ma'on land. When Chandler and Gish arrived, Palestinians were telling the soldiers the whole valley was theirs and the Israeli military's civil administration, called the District Coordinating Office (DCO), confirmed this ownership two weeks earlier. The soldiers threatened to arrest one of the teenage boys. A Palestinian asked Chandler to call the DCO. The DCO finally promised to send someone after a call from an Israeli peace activist.
Two more army jeeps, a police jeep, and two border police jeeps arrived and an hour later, the DCO. All of the Israeli forces congregated to speak tothe DCO captain. Afterwards, the police returned the IDs to the Palestinian men and said the valley in question was in fact open to the Palestinians for grazing, but not for farming. One Palestinian told him that assertion was false and said he wanted to speak to the DCO directly.
The DCO captain came and explained the entire valley did indeed belong tothe people of Tuba, and they could use it freely. However, he insisted the Palestinians coordinate with the DCO whenever they want to work the land. One Palestinians told him there was no point in this coordination because the DCO never comes when they do call.
Sunday 15 July
Janzen and Scruggs visited a family in the village of Mughayir el Abeed. The father of the family told the CPTers that at 10:00 a.m., a truck drove toward him, his sons, and their sheep. A settler emerged from the truck and pointed a gun at them. The Palestinians then descended into the valley and the settler drove away.
Monday 16 July
Janzen and Scruggs went to observe a temporary checkpoint on Road 317, where the police had stopped a car coming from Yatta and were blocking the passage of other vehicles. One of the police officers asked for Scruggs' ID. After she gave him her passport, he told her if she did not stop taking photos and leave in two minutes he would arrest her. Scruggs moved to the other side of Road 317 and Janzen arrived. About ten minutes later, the Israeli police moved their vehicle to allow other vehicles to pass. After another fifteen minutes, police returned the IDs to the Palestinians and drove away.
Wednesday 18 July
While accompanying shepherds in Khoruba valley, Janzen and Scruggs observed a Palestinian woman walking with her children in the valley toward At-Tuwani. A settler came down from the wooden house in Hill 833 and sat above the road the family was going to walk on. The Palestinians moved to the opposite side of the valley and continued on their way.
Thursday 19 July
In the afternoon, Gish, Chandler, Janzen and Scruggs joined residents of At-Tuwani in a meeting with consulate staff from Australia, Ireland, Norway, and Portugal at the school in At-Tuwani.
At 4:45pm, a plain truck entered At-Tuwani from Hill 833 and drove to a Palestinian home nearby. When Janzen and Chandler arrived, they saw two armed men in the truck: the driver was in civilian clothes, and the passenger in an army uniform. The driver had a still camera and was taking pictures of everyone, but left almost immediately after Janzen and Chandler arrived.
After the truck left, the Palestinians told Chandler and Janzen the men said they were with the DCO, but did not act like typical DCO personnel. They told everyone at the house they had to go inside, and when they did not, the armed men cocked their guns and threatened to start shooting. In the midst of this encounter, they took pictures of construction at the house, saying it was forbidden and would be demolished.
After the incident, one of the Palestinians called the DCO, who said they would come to At-Tuwani. Chandler and Janzen waited at the house until sunset. The DCO never came.
Friday, 20 July
Chandler and Gish responded to a call from a Palestinian regarding settlers from Susya settlement planting on Palestinian land near Qawawis. The CPTers filmed and took pictures of three settlers working in the field and then returned to At-Tuwani.
The same Palestinian man from Susiya called later saying the police and Palestinian landowners had come to the area. When Chandler and a Dove arrived, the police were speaking with the settlers who had been working the land. Up to twenty settlers from the Susya settlement gradually arrived and talked with each other on the side of the road. An army jeep and later two more and two border police jeeps arrived.
An hour later, when the DCO officer arrived, he went first to speak with the police and army present. Several settlers argued with them. In the meantime, settlers approached the Palestinians, Chandler and the Dove. The border police intervened to try to keep the two groups separate. Finally, the DCO spoke with one of the Palestinian landowners and told him they had to investigate the matter further to decided who owned the plot of land. Then they declared the area a closed military zone.
Saturday, 21 July
A group of seventy-five Palestinian children from the Hebron area led by a Palestinian peace activist arrived in At-Tuwani for a solidarity visit. When they walked back to their busses parked on Road 317, an army jeep was there. The soldiers said the driver of one of the busses was suspicious because he had Israeli plates stored in the bus, and Palestinians plates on the bus. The soldiers insisted the group must wait for the police to arrive and showed no regard for the children who were forced to wait in the heatwithout water.
The police arrived after about forty-five minutes. The children protested while waiting, chanting and crowding around the army and police, saying, "We want to go," and, "We want water." The police and army responded by shouting at the children to go away. After about an hour and a half the police gave the driver of one bus a citation for parking illegally on theroad. The group then left for a tour of Qawawis.
Sunday, 22 July
Chandler and Gish returned to the plot of land near Qawawis where settlers had been working on Friday to join four other internationals in documenting Israeli settlers' efforts on the Palestinian-owned land. Soldiers tried to stop them from going out into the field where the settlers were working, but they went anyway. After the settlers left, they went out and filmed around the work site, where the tractor sat. When they got back to the road, about fifteen teenage settlers came, took their pictures and taunted them. Another military vehicle and police also came to the scene.
When the Palestinian landowners arrived, the CPTers and internationals stood around them and their car to protect them from the settler youth. The landowners spoke to the police, who told them they would have to go to the Kiryat Arba police station the following morning to file their complaint.
Monday, 23 July
The owners of the land where settlers from Susya had been working the previous evening went to the Kiryat Arba police station as directed, but the police did not allow them in to file their complaint.
A Palestinian came by in the evening and told the team he had just returnedfrom the Israeli High Court case regarding the wall along Road 317. The court ruled the Israeli army must disassemble the wall within two weeks and everyday after that time, if they have not removed it, they must pay the Palestinians in villages south of the wall a large sum of money.
Tuesday, 24 July
A Palestinian reported to the team in the late afternoon that the army had started to disassemble the wall along Route 317.
AT-TUWANI UPDATE: 11-24 July 2007
Every day during this period, the team accompanied Palestinian shepherds in fields near Israeli settlements and settler outposts. The team monitored several temporary Israeli military checkpoints on the Palestinian road leading from At-Tuwani north to Yatta. On team during this period were members of Operation Dove ( called "Doves") and CPTers Diane Janzen, Sarah Scruggs, Matthew Chandler, and Peggy Gish.
Wednesday 11 July
CPTers Chandler and Janzen monitored a temporary checkpoint on Road 317 in the late afternoon. The soldiers briefly stopped a Palestinian fromAt-Tuwani who later told Janzen the soldiers had yelled at him to run towards them. He had just kept walking, and when he got to the jeep, the soldiers asked him why he did not run and he told them he had already walked two km. When the soldiers saw the CPTers coming down the hill one said,"Here come the sons of bitches."
Friday 13 July
Chandler and Gish walked to Tuba in the morning. About 10:00 a.m., a settler security guard and the Israeli army arrived in the area and told the Tuba shepherds they were on Ma'on land. The soldiers said the shepherds were allowed to be on the farmed land lower in the valley, but not up on the hillside. After several minutes of arguing, some of the Palestinians started to leave the area and the soldiers left with the settler security guard.
Saturday 14 July
In Tuba, the settler security guard and the army came again and told the Palestinians they were on Ma'on land. When Chandler and Gish arrived, Palestinians were telling the soldiers the whole valley was theirs and the Israeli military's civil administration, called the District Coordinating Office (DCO), confirmed this ownership two weeks earlier. The soldiers threatened to arrest one of the teenage boys. A Palestinian asked Chandler to call the DCO. The DCO finally promised to send someone after a call from an Israeli peace activist.
Two more army jeeps, a police jeep, and two border police jeeps arrived and an hour later, the DCO. All of the Israeli forces congregated to speak tothe DCO captain. Afterwards, the police returned the IDs to the Palestinian men and said the valley in question was in fact open to the Palestinians for grazing, but not for farming. One Palestinian told him that assertion was false and said he wanted to speak to the DCO directly.
The DCO captain came and explained the entire valley did indeed belong tothe people of Tuba, and they could use it freely. However, he insisted the Palestinians coordinate with the DCO whenever they want to work the land. One Palestinians told him there was no point in this coordination because the DCO never comes when they do call.
Sunday 15 July
Janzen and Scruggs visited a family in the village of Mughayir el Abeed. The father of the family told the CPTers that at 10:00 a.m., a truck drove toward him, his sons, and their sheep. A settler emerged from the truck and pointed a gun at them. The Palestinians then descended into the valley and the settler drove away.
Monday 16 July
Janzen and Scruggs went to observe a temporary checkpoint on Road 317, where the police had stopped a car coming from Yatta and were blocking the passage of other vehicles. One of the police officers asked for Scruggs' ID. After she gave him her passport, he told her if she did not stop taking photos and leave in two minutes he would arrest her. Scruggs moved to the other side of Road 317 and Janzen arrived. About ten minutes later, the Israeli police moved their vehicle to allow other vehicles to pass. After another fifteen minutes, police returned the IDs to the Palestinians and drove away.
Wednesday 18 July
While accompanying shepherds in Khoruba valley, Janzen and Scruggs observed a Palestinian woman walking with her children in the valley toward At-Tuwani. A settler came down from the wooden house in Hill 833 and sat above the road the family was going to walk on. The Palestinians moved to the opposite side of the valley and continued on their way.
Thursday 19 July
In the afternoon, Gish, Chandler, Janzen and Scruggs joined residents of At-Tuwani in a meeting with consulate staff from Australia, Ireland, Norway, and Portugal at the school in At-Tuwani.
At 4:45pm, a plain truck entered At-Tuwani from Hill 833 and drove to a Palestinian home nearby. When Janzen and Chandler arrived, they saw two armed men in the truck: the driver was in civilian clothes, and the passenger in an army uniform. The driver had a still camera and was taking pictures of everyone, but left almost immediately after Janzen and Chandler arrived.
After the truck left, the Palestinians told Chandler and Janzen the men said they were with the DCO, but did not act like typical DCO personnel. They told everyone at the house they had to go inside, and when they did not, the armed men cocked their guns and threatened to start shooting. In the midst of this encounter, they took pictures of construction at the house, saying it was forbidden and would be demolished.
After the incident, one of the Palestinians called the DCO, who said they would come to At-Tuwani. Chandler and Janzen waited at the house until sunset. The DCO never came.
Friday, 20 July
Chandler and Gish responded to a call from a Palestinian regarding settlers from Susya settlement planting on Palestinian land near Qawawis. The CPTers filmed and took pictures of three settlers working in the field and then returned to At-Tuwani.
The same Palestinian man from Susiya called later saying the police and Palestinian landowners had come to the area. When Chandler and a Dove arrived, the police were speaking with the settlers who had been working the land. Up to twenty settlers from the Susya settlement gradually arrived and talked with each other on the side of the road. An army jeep and later two more and two border police jeeps arrived.
An hour later, when the DCO officer arrived, he went first to speak with the police and army present. Several settlers argued with them. In the meantime, settlers approached the Palestinians, Chandler and the Dove. The border police intervened to try to keep the two groups separate. Finally, the DCO spoke with one of the Palestinian landowners and told him they had to investigate the matter further to decided who owned the plot of land. Then they declared the area a closed military zone.
Saturday, 21 July
A group of seventy-five Palestinian children from the Hebron area led by a Palestinian peace activist arrived in At-Tuwani for a solidarity visit. When they walked back to their busses parked on Road 317, an army jeep was there. The soldiers said the driver of one of the busses was suspicious because he had Israeli plates stored in the bus, and Palestinians plates on the bus. The soldiers insisted the group must wait for the police to arrive and showed no regard for the children who were forced to wait in the heatwithout water.
The police arrived after about forty-five minutes. The children protested while waiting, chanting and crowding around the army and police, saying, "We want to go," and, "We want water." The police and army responded by shouting at the children to go away. After about an hour and a half the police gave the driver of one bus a citation for parking illegally on theroad. The group then left for a tour of Qawawis.
Sunday, 22 July
Chandler and Gish returned to the plot of land near Qawawis where settlers had been working on Friday to join four other internationals in documenting Israeli settlers' efforts on the Palestinian-owned land. Soldiers tried to stop them from going out into the field where the settlers were working, but they went anyway. After the settlers left, they went out and filmed around the work site, where the tractor sat. When they got back to the road, about fifteen teenage settlers came, took their pictures and taunted them. Another military vehicle and police also came to the scene.
When the Palestinian landowners arrived, the CPTers and internationals stood around them and their car to protect them from the settler youth. The landowners spoke to the police, who told them they would have to go to the Kiryat Arba police station the following morning to file their complaint.
Monday, 23 July
The owners of the land where settlers from Susya had been working the previous evening went to the Kiryat Arba police station as directed, but the police did not allow them in to file their complaint.
A Palestinian came by in the evening and told the team he had just returnedfrom the Israeli High Court case regarding the wall along Road 317. The court ruled the Israeli army must disassemble the wall within two weeks and everyday after that time, if they have not removed it, they must pay the Palestinians in villages south of the wall a large sum of money.
Tuesday, 24 July
A Palestinian reported to the team in the late afternoon that the army had started to disassemble the wall along Route 317.
