Category: Reports

by ISM Hebron

At approximately 6:15 PM today, I was sitting on Shuhada street with another Human Rights Worker (HRW) and we noticed some settler kids throwing rocks at Palestinians in front of the Beit Hadassah settlement. My fellow HRW went to investigate and I kept my eye on him as I saw the notorious Anat Cohen approaching. She began yelling at him in Hebrew and yelling at the soldier on duty to stop him. The soldier approached the HRW and demanded that he leave, saying he was not allowed in the area and was not allowed to film the scene – two claims that are completely contrary to Israeli law. As three settler children were continuing to throw rocks at Palestinians on the path above, the HRW continued to try to film them. I walked over as Anat began to physically block my friend’s way.

Ms. Cohen began yelling something about Auschwitz to us in Hebrew, and the soldier continued to insist that we could not be filming. Ms. Cohen put her arms up in front of my friend, waving them in his face. I told her to knock it off, that we were allowed to be there and allowed to film. Then she kicked me in the leg.

At this point more soldiers had showed up and began yelling at US and I decided it was time to call the police.

They came very quickly this time.. one of the soldiers must have called them as well.

After explaining to a commander what we were doing there (filming and intervening when settlers throw rocks at Palestinians), the commander told us that Palestinians were not allowed to walk along this street except when they were going to school, which was out for the summer. I informed him that was absolutely false, they were allowed here. He argued with me some more and then I decided it was time to call our nice friend Hamad at UN OCHA. He advised me to file a police report at the Kiryat Arba police station and I informed my friends this was where I was going.

I was pretty angry at this point and I walked up to Ms. Cohen and informed her that I was going to the police to file a complaint against her for kicking me.

This was where our trouble began and I realized that I had made a mistake.

As I got into the back of the police jeep, Anat told a police officer that my fellow human rights worker assaulted her.

He was told to get in the back of the jeep too. The police officer informed us that the soldier on duty was backing Ms. Cohen up.

We both went to the police station where we would spend the next 3 hours.

I gave my testimony, my friend gave his, then the soldier gave his.

While we were waiting and worrying that my friend was going to get arrested, our other friends back in Tel Rumeida said they spoke to a soldier who had seen everything, knew we hadn’t done anything wrong but was too scared to come forward in our defense.

Fortunately for us, Ms. Cohen’s reputation as a nutcase was widely known and the police let my friend go.

Beit Ummar settlement guards

by Zadie

At 7:30am yesterday morning Abu Ayyash and his son Yousef, from Beit Ummar, were accompanied by 3 peace activists in order to go to their land to spray the grape vines with pesticides. Despite Israeli army and settler security forces attempts to stop them, they succeeded in working the land.

On the way to the land we met another farmer, Mahmoud A’akel from Halhul who asked if we could also accompany him. Abu A’akel and one international peace activist never made it to the land and just crossed the settler road when they were stopped by the settlement security. The security guards, equipped with m-16’s, told them that they were not allowed to enter.

Beit Ummar Israeli security guards ‘protecting’ state interests in a Palestinian vineyard.

The security then drove to the land of Abu Ayyash and tried to physically stop them from spraying the grapes. Abu Ayyash owns 3 dunums of land that borders the Karme Sur settlement road, which acts as a border to the settlement. The three security guards said we were not allowed to be on the land because we were too close to the settlement. When they noticed that the internationals were taking pictures they became less aggressive and retreated to call for army backup.

The farmers continued to work as the Israeli army arrived. The soldiers said that they must call the DCO for permission to work on their land. They conceded that there was no official order, but said that we couldn’t be on the land. The settler security and the army worked together to agree on a plan that we could stay on the land as long as the army stayed to watch.

The farmers continued to work until all their grape vines were sprayed. Abu Ayyash may not have a chance to harvest the grapes, however, because the settlement plans to put a wall around the settlement and confiscate most of his land. We pulled out the metal stakes that were marking part of the route of the wall. A soldier told us that his commander ordered them to remove us from the land because it was owned by the settlement. He said that the settlement purchased the land from Abu Ayyash to build the wall. We told him that this was a lie and he has not sold his land or received any money for his land.

Beit Ummar Israeli soldiers preventing Palestinian farmers from farming their land

Abu Ayyash has contacted a lawyer to fight this illegal confiscation and plans to continue to fight for his right to work his land.

Palestinians threatened and abused by soldiers while waiting in their yard for Israeli Police to come and investigate damage caused by settler vandalism.

This is where the water pump used to be before Israeli settlers from the Tel Rumeida Settlement stole it.

by Jonas

Sunday, June 25th: Two Human Rights Workers (HRWs) received a phone call around 8:45pm, asking them to proceed to the Abu Haikal house because there were settlers from the Tel Rumeida Settlement causing problems on the family’s land. The HRWs went to the land directly, arriving 5 minutes or so after the phone call.

The HRWs were greeted by the family, who then led the HRWs to the backyard. The Abu Haikal family explained that the settlers had ascended the stairs from the Tel Rumeida settlement, which is located at the base of the Abu Haikal house. The settlers, at this point, had already left in the getaway car, which was waiting at the foot of the stairs. Two soldiers were present at the scene, also at the foot of the stairs.

The family explained to the HRWs what had happened. The settlers stole the water pump from the backyard. In doing so, they cut the electrical cord and the water pipe, both of which were connected to the pump. One of the HRWs called the police, who said they would be en route to the Abu Haikal house shortly, while the other HRW photographed the scene.

Settlers cut through the electrical wire that was hooked to the pump before stealing it and placing it into their getaway car.

While the family was relaying the information, including the make, model and license plate of the settler car (White Ford Van #39-538-51), the two Israeli soldiers came up the stairs onto the Abu Haikal property. They started screaming at the family, saying that they and the HRWs could not be there because they were posing a threat to the settlement. The HRWs assured the soldier that they were merely assessing the situation and would wait until the police arrived. The soldier again raised his voice, shouting for everyone to retreat back into the house. One HRW recorded the soldier’s words.

The soldier was screaming in Hebrew at one of the Abu Haikal family members. He was threatening to shoot the man if he did not retreat, later stating to a settler woman, “I hate Arabs!” This went on for a couple minutes. The police were called again and they assured the HRWs that they would be there shortly and to wait in the front of the house for the vehicle.

The HRWs and the family members went to the front of the house, where the police never came. Eventually, the police would arrive at the foot of the stairs in the backyard, where the soldiers and only one other Abu Haikal family member were waiting. He told the HRWs that the police came and the soldier that was present told the police that he didn’t see anything, i.e. the settlers or their getaway car. The police also found the White Ford Van and the driver who came to the scene at the request of the police. The settler denied any involvement and no water pump was found in the car. The police and the settler left before speaking with the HRWs who initially called them or any other family members involved.

TIPH (Temporary International Presence in Hebron) was called, who assured the HRWs and the Abu Haikal family that they would come tomorrow morning to record their story. The audio that was recorded of the soldier’s threats and the photographs of the scene’s stolen water pump and damaged pipes and wires were transferred to the Abu Haikal family’s computer and audio devices. They will use the evidence with their police report, to be filed at the Kiryat Arba police station at 9AM the following morning. The family said they would call the HRWs if any further problems arise.

by ISM Hebron

On Monday, June 19th 2006 at 7:00 pm, twenty Israeli settlers stoned a thirty year old Palestinian man named Talab Jabber. Jabber lives in the Old City near the Abraham mosque. He has five children, four daughters and one son.

Jabber was cleaning an old room and collecting some metal near the pool street behind al-Ibraheemiah School, when the settlers came to him from Abraham Avieeno Settlement and asked him to bay like his donkey. He responded to the settlers that he does not do this. Suddenly the settlers stoned him; they injured his face with rocks. The settlers also attacked Jaber’s donkey.

All of this happened in front of a checkpoint manned by Israeli soldiers who were less than twenty meters away from the attack area. The settlers escaped when they saw him bleeding. After that he went to the soldiers and asked them for help. Fortunately, they called the Army ambulance, which gave him first aid and then called the Palestinian ambulance which took him through the checkpoint to Hebron Hospital.

After he was at the hospital, Israeli police called him to go the police station to make a complaint against the settlers. In spite of the inconvenience for him, Jabber went. Jabber said that he had been attacked two times before but no one followed up on his complaints to the Israeli police. Also he said “the settlers do whatever they want; there are no rules to stop them from attacking and harassing the Palestinians.” He added that his wife and family members are living in a miserable situation because of the settlers and some soldiers. He said that he wants to live with justice and in peace, with freedom to go to his work, his home and the mosque. “We are not terrorists. We are victims of the Occupation; the settlers are the terrorists.”