Tag: Beit Romano

CPT: Israeli Police Invade Palestinian Home, Arrest Father in Hebron’s Old City

Christian Peacemaker Team – Hebron

July 14, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On July 13, 2pm about 20 Israeli police and soldiers invaded the Awewi family home in Hebron’s Old City. They forced the mother and the eight children into the kitchen and arrested the father, who is a Palestinian Authority (PA) police officer. The mother attempted to force the door of the kitchen open to give her husband his shoes and trousers, but a soldier pushed her against the counter in spite of her obvious pregnant status. She threw the shoes down the stairwell, hoping her husband could retrieve them.

Meantime, about 20 Israeli soldiers guarding the street below had ordered a closure of the surrounding shops and prevented Palestinians from walking past for about 15 minutes. One of the soldiers shouted to the people, “Nobody come close or we will shoot.”

By the time CPTers reached the area, the Israeli police and soldiers had taken the Palestinian to Bab il Baledeyya (Beit Romano settlement) checkpoint and ordered him behind the checkpoint gate.

CPTers then visited the mother and her shaken-up family. The mother shared all the above information with CPT and was obviously very distressed. The police had given her no reason for the arrest, and it can take up to 14 days before the Red Cross can find out information for family members from Israeli authorities about arrested or detained Palestinians.

Since Israeli settlers established the settlement of Avraham Avinu right next to their home the Awewi family has experienced a lot of distress. The settlers have harassed the family many times, including invasions, and a fire set to one of their bedrooms. Israeli authorities have also arrested family members at least twice. The family has received many large financial offers from the settlers to purchase their home, but the family refuses to sell.

The Israeli police released the PA police officer three hours later, reprimanded him for arresting a Palestinian in the Old City (in H2 area of Hebron under full Israeli control) and not informing the Israeli police of this, and told him not to work in the Old City.

Israeli soldiers break Hebron resident’s arm, enter two shops

4 May 2009

On Monday, the 4th of May, a Hebron resident’s arm was broken by two soldiers in the old city.  49-year-old Mohammad Hashem Borqan was on his way to pray at the Ibrahimi Mosque at around 5:30am.  As he went through the checkpoint at the entrance to the mosque, two soldiers started beating and kicking him.  Mohammad fell to the ground, breaking his arm.  After the beating the soldiers ordered him to leave the area, and he was forced to take himself to the hospital.

Additionally, at around 2:00pm that same day, seven Israeli soldiers entered at least two Palestinian handcraft shops in the old city of Hebron near the illegal Israeli settlement of Beit Romano.  They harassed the shop-keepers, and told them that they were not checking all of the shops in the area, just the ones they felt were “dangerous.”  The soldiers brought tape measures with them, and measured the entrances to the doors and the lengths of the room.  The soldiers also took pictures of the shops, as well as the items on sale.  They also took down the details of the shop-keepers’ ID cards and asked them such things as where they lived and how many children they had.  The soldiers left both shops after around 45 minutes.

Settler violence on the rise in Hebron

Violence from illegal Israeli settlers directed at Palestinian residents in Hebron is an almost everyday occurrence.  Recently however, several incidents indicate that settler violence in the city is increasing.  On the 4th of April at around 3pm, Shah Aiwa, a 7-year-old Palestinian boy, was injured in his head after having stones thrown at him by settler children.  The stoning occurred near the boy’s home in the old city, next to Beit Romano settlement. Shah was playing with another child when two settler boys started throwing stones at them from a nearby roof.  According to both Shah and eyewitnesses who gathered at the scene, incidents like this are very common, happening 5 to 6 times a week.  The stone that hit Shah on the head weighed over a kilo, and the injury he received required attention by medical staff from Hebron hospital.

In a separate incident that same day, 17 Palestinian cars were damaged from stones thrown by settlers from Kiryat Arba.  Israeli soldiers were present and witnessed the vandalism, but did nothing to prevent it.   Recently, some Palestinian residences in that area have also had windows smashed from settler stones.  Testimonials from residents suggest that the violence from Kiryat Arba settlers has risen in recent weeks.

Additionally, in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of the city, several houses have been attacked by settlers at night.  The residents of these houses say that 20 masked settlers descended on their homes at around 10pm on the 4th of April.  Settlers threw stones at the windows, breaking at least three of them.  At around 8pm that same night, a 28-year-old Palestinian resident was beaten by settlers in front of his house.  The man sustained two broken bones in his wrist and a large cut near his eye as a result of the beating.  A civilian observer with TIPH (Temporary International Presence in Hebron) was also attacked by settlers while he was walking in al-Shuhada street on the 4th of April.