At 10.20am on the morning of Saturday 26 April, four Israeli national-religious settlers from Ma’on settlement threw stones at three Palestinian shepherds who were grazing flocks on their land near the village of Tuba, in the South Hebron Hills
The threatening presence of the settlers caused the shepherds and flocks to immediately leave the area. Two Italian volunteers of Operation Dove videotaped the settlers and the retreating flocks.
On the morning of Friday 25 April, six settlers attacked the same shepherds, throwing stones at them while they were watering their flocks at a cistern near Tuba. When the shepherds left the area, the shepherds witnessed settlers using large stones to damage the cistern.
National-religious settlers often use violence against Palestinians in the south Hebron Hills, including children. For the last three and a half years the Israeli military has escorted children from Tuba to the school in At-Tuwani in order to deter violence against the children by settlers. Operation Dove continues to monitor this escort, because of failures of the Israeli military to protect the children from settler violence.
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