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Occupation magazine - Activism Home page  back Print  Send To friend At-Tuwani Update November 2008 CPT Email Update Dec. 11 2008 Member on Team: Tarek Abuata, Jan Benvie, Dennis Bricker, Johann Funk, Art Gish, Maureen Jack, Allen Johnson, Alwyn Knight, Rich Meyer, Sam Nichols, Sean O`Neill, Paulette Schroeder, and Members of Operation Dove (Doves) SUMMARY: During November, the plowing season closed successfully. The villagers of At-Tuwani successfully plowed fields which have been left unplowed in recent years because of settler violence. Palestinian shepherds continued to graze their flocks while having to remain acutely aware of the presence of Israel settlers who carried out one attack in November. Palestinians passing through At-Tuwani faced the possibility of detentions and delays as the Israeli military continued to patrol the area. Throughout the month, the Israel military escort failed to complete the school escort route, resulting in the schoolchildren being chased by Israeli settlers. Friday 7 November 2008 Abuata and Meyer accompanied children from the neighboring villages of Tuba and Magaer Al-Abeed to football practice in At-Tuwani. A settler vehicle approached Abuata and Meyer as they were returning to At-Tuwani after escorting the kids home. One masked settler got out of the vehicle and began throwing stones at the CPTers and demanding that they leave the area. Later in the afternoon, an Israeli military vehicle entered At-Tuwani and stopped numerous Palestinian vehicles. The Israeli military took several identification cards (IDs) of the Palestinian drivers and passengers. Additionally, the license plates of the vehicles were removed. The IDs were returned to the Palestinians after several calls were made to Israeli human rights organizations. However, the Palestinians were told they would have to report to the Kiryat Arba police station, near Hebron, to retrieve their license plates. Saturday 8 November 2008 The Israeli military setup a checkpoint on the road to Yatta. The soldiers produced an order and a map defining a closed military zone including large areas to the east and west of At-Tuwani, as well as both sides of route 317. In the evening, an Israeli military vehicle entered the village and stopped at the house of one of the village leaders. The soldiers pushed their way into the home searching for a certain Palestinian man. The soldiers were aggressive, shouting and cocking their rifles in front of Palestinians and internationals. Despite finding only women and children in the home, they continued to insist that the man they were looking for was hiding in the home, they said that this man was a `murderer.` The soldiers also threatened to shoot this man if they saw him. The soldiers then approached a vehicle parked outside of the home and confiscated a duffle bag that was in the car. Saturday 15 November 2008 Benvie and Knight were accompanying shepherds on Meshaha hill when 12 to 15 masked settlers appeared on the ridge above them. The masked settlers made a loud cry as they began to run down from the ridge, throwing stones and wielding sticks. They pursued the shepherds, sheep, and CPT into Meshaha valley, and up and over Khoruba ridge, still throwing stones. Knight was injured by some stones, including an injury to his left arm and to his left ankle. The attacking settlers also temporarily stole two donkeys belonging to the Palestinian shepherds. The donkeys were later found, one donkey was stabbed in the neck and survived while the other donkey was stabbed in the lung and bled to death on the hillside. (See AT-TUWANI: Israeli settlers attack Palestinian shepherds, kill donkey, injure internationals.) Sunday 16 November 2008 The Israeli military was nearly 2 hours late for the afternoon school escort. Calls made by CPT and OD to the military were not received. Calls were made to various other organizations to try to put pressure on the army to send an escort. The escort finally arrived but failed to complete the entire escort. Thus, two settlers ran from the outpost of Havot Ma`on towards the children who were talking towards their villages. The settlers caught up with the children and shouted as the children were passing the settler chicken barns. Another settler appeared on the hillside and began picking up rocks as he jogged towards the children. As no military escort was present, the children were forced to run from the settlers to escape the danger. Friday 21 November At-Tuwani villagers and their extended relatives came to participate in the plowing of Khoruba and Meshaha valleys. This was the first time in 10 years that parts of Meshaha had been plowed. Khoruba valley was completely plowed without incident and the most contentious section of Meshaha valley was also plowed. Near the completion of the plowing, three settlers and one small child came down to the fields. Two of the men walked past the soldiers, who did nothing to stop them, into the fields where the Palestinians were plowing and stood in front of the tractors. The Palestinians who were present formed a human wall to stop the settlers from obstructing the work of the tractors. The Israeli military and police present did nothing to stop the Israeli settlers from attempting to obstruct the plowing work of the legal land owners. (See AT-TUWANI: Villagers successfully plow “lost” land) Saturday 22 November The lower section of Meshaha valley was successfully plowed by land owners from the village of Mfagara. Four donkeys were brought to the fields to finish the plowing as quickly as possible to avoid a confrontation. Israeli settlers watched from the hillsides adjacent to the fields. Five military and police vehicles were in the area during the duration of the plowing. This day of work completed the plowing of Meshaha valley. (See AT-TUWANI: Villagers successfully plow “lost” land) Monday 24th November 2008 During the morning school escort, a settler tractor came to the Palestinian-owned valley below the settlement of Ma`on and began plowing. The field they plowed is owned by a man from At-Tuwani, but earlier in the year settlers fenced in a portion of this field. This action effectively annexed the land and increased the land the settlers have claimed in this Palestinian-owned valley. In the afternoon, Nichols and O`Neill were at the dismantled outpost to monitor. After sighting the kids but before they had passed the chicken barns, they observed a settler grazing goats, and then three other settlers appeared and began to put on masks. Feeling threatened, they withdrew down into the valley disallowing them from monitoring the escort. A CPT delegation of ten persons arrived and spent the night in Tuwani. sb Links to the latest articles in this section Attacks on New Israel Fund, Critical Groups, Threaten Civil Society Report to UN on suppression of Palestinian human rights activism No Treatment in Gaza, No Security Risk, but Israel Prevents a Seriously ill Man from Getting Treatment