FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
14 May 2007
“To steal my land you must first break through us!”
Hebron, WEST BANK– The J’abri family has been routinely threatened and assaulted. Access to their land, located between the illegal Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba and the Kiryat Hafut police station, has been prohibited by Israeli soldiers and settlers. Although the Israeli High Court says that the J’abri family may have access to this land, Israeli soldiers and settlers often attack or threaten them.
This Thursday, May 17, the J’abri family will be joined by Palestinian, Israeli, and international solidarity activists in order to take back the J’abri land. Activists are expected to accompany the J’abri family to their land where the goats will graze and grass may be collected. Because of the soldier and settler violence, the J’abri family has called on Palestinian, international, and Israeli solidarity activists to join them this Thursday.
Israeli settlers from Hebron invaded the J’abri land several years ago and constructed a staircase passageway ascending to “Giv’at Ha’avot” and also an illegal settlement called “Chazon David”. Although the acknowledgment by the State, the Civil Administration and also the Legal Consultant Office of the Judea and Samaria, in the illegal status of those invasions, and the existing promise to demolish those structures, no action had been taken so far. In addition, in a February letter from the Legal Consultant Office of the Judea and Samaria, it was determined that the J’abri family, the owners of that property, are entitled to full freedom of movement on their land and in addition the settlers shall be forbidden to use the emergency road during routine times.
“They want my land so that they can connect the two Israeli settlements. But we’re not going anywhere. To steal my land you must first break through us!” said Abdul Karim J’abri.
In April, a settler, armed with an M-16 rifle, exited his car and approached Udai J’abri, Abdul Karim’s son, who was collecting grass at the time. Udai was pushed to the ground by the settler. When other members of the J’abri family came to assist, the settler began to shoot at the family. When Israeli soldiers arrived, they physically assaulted the family members and arrested Abdul Karim and his son Allah.
For years the family has suffered from violence and bullying by the Hebron and “Giv’at Ha’avot” settlers. Invasions to their property and causing serious damages are quite familiar to them. The family had previously filed several complaints at the police station however so far those did not result in anything. The J’abri family expects that soldiers and settlers will be violent and instigate problems when the family accesses their land this Thursday.
Activists will meet at 10am at the J’abri residence, located neat the Ibrahimi Mosque and the Kiryat Hafut Israeli police station in Hebron. The action is expected to last aprrox. 2 hours.
Fore more info, contact:
ISM Media Office, 0599-943-157, 0542-103-657, 02-297-1824
For more on the settler/soldier assault on the J’abri family, click HERE