Tag: Christian Peacemaker Team

CPT: Settlers Injure Palestinian with Stones

2 June 2011 | Christian Peacemaker Teams

For Immediate Release

In the old city in Hebron, two boys, ages 14 and 15, residents of Beit Hadassah Settlement, threw multiple stones, some as large as 5 inches, at Palestinians walking past in the market place. One nine year old boy was struck with two stones causing a head injury that splattered the sidewalk and storefront with blood. An ambulance arrived to rush the boy to the hospital for emergency care.

An IDF soldier stationed beside the settlement had neither tried to stop the boys nor take any action against the two teens who had hurled these stones at the people shopping below. An Israeli Policeman later called on a resident who saw much of the incident and took information to investigate further into this tragedy.

This same resident’s house is back to back with the Beit Hadassah settlement. Besides enduring daily harassment from settlers, he needs to board his windows to protect his family from the violence of the settlers. Lately, he reported several incidents, including settlers from Beit Hadassah smashing his car windows and throwing eggs at his store.

CPT: Israeli intelligence, backed by military, threatens villagers in At-Tuwani

23 May 2011 | Christian Peacemaker Teams – At-Tuwani

At Tuwani, South Hebron Hills, West Bank – On Monday May 23, Israeli intelligence entered At-Tuwani, escorted by about fifteen soldiers. In the operation the Israeli military invaded a local leader’s house, demanded that villagers stop their nonviolent resistance and threatened violent retaliation if the Palestinians persist asserting their rights to the land.

At around 7pm, two military vehicles and about fifteen soldiers on foot entered the village. Soldiers first invaded the house of one of the community’s nonviolent resistance leaders. Soldiers searched rooms and the surroundings at gunpoint. At the same time four men in civilian clothes, but with military gear and assault rifles, systematically approached local adult men and began questioning them. The four men, later identified as intelligence agents, asked for addresses, phone numbers, places of employments and other personal details.

Intelligence personnel also interrogated villagers about recent demonstrations and direct actions carried out by the community, and demanded that Palestinians cease their nonviolent resistance. “Do you want to become the father of a martyr?” They asked one of the village leaders, hinting that the occupation forces might retaliate on his children.

Neither soldiers nor intelligence officers gave any reason for the military operation and the prolonged interference in people’s privacy and security. When asked why they were in the village the armed men responded only “It’s our job.” Agents also requested that internationals refrain from taking any pictures of the unfolding events but presented no warrants or identification. The intelligence personnel threatened to call the police to arrest the internationals. The operation lasted over two hours.

Operation Dove and Christian Peacemaker Teams have maintained an international presence in At-Tuwani and South Hebron Hills since 2004. Follow breaking news from the South Hebron Hills on Twitter @cptpalestine.

Palestinian testimonies about settler attack in Tuba

20 May 2011 | Christian Peacemaker Teams

Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) has released a video of Palestinian testimonies about the recent settler invasion in the village of Tuba. On 16 May, shortly before midnight, Israeli settlers invaded Tuba, damaged property, and stole and injured several sheep belonging to the Ali Awwad family.

Members of the Ali Awwad family reported that they counted seven masked settlers, who entered the village throwing rocks with slingshots. Besides stealing seven sheep, the settlers beat the sheep and injured several, including one which lost an eye. Two of the sheep were so badly injured that the family had to slaughter them the next morning. In addition, the settlers overturned three large water tanks, damaged fences and a goat pen, punctured a storage tent and three sacks of yogurt, and destroyed the ventilation pipe of an outhouse.

Although the family called the Israeli police the night of the attack, the police did not come to Tuba until two days later. Tuba residents saw Israeli soldiers near the village immediately following the settler invasion. But when the Palestinians tried to speak with the soldiers, the soldiers were not able to communicate in Arabic and left the village.

Christian Peacemaker Teams and Operation Dove have maintained an international presence in At-Tuwani and the South Hebron Hills since 2004.

CPT: Rampaging Israeli settlers invade Palestinian village of Tuba

16 May 2011 | Christian Peacemaker Team

(Tuba, South Hebron Hills, West Bank) Late last night, Israeli settlers invaded the village of Tuba, damaged property, and killed and stole several sheep belonging to the Ali Awad family. Palestinians of Tuba reported that they counted seven masked settlers, who entered and left the village on foot, and saw two cars at the outskirts of Tuba, near the chicken barns of Ma’on settlement.

The rampaging settlers stole seven sheep, killed two, and injured others, including one which lost an eye. In addition, the settlers upended three water tanks, which held a total of 4.5 cubic meters of water. They destroyed fences, punctured a storage tent and three large sacks of yogurt, damaged a goat pen and destroyed the ventilation pipe of an outhouse. They also set loose a donkey, which later returned.

Around midnight on Sunday 15 May, internationals from Christian Peacemaker Teams received a call from a Tuba resident to report the settler invasion and request help in urging the Israeli police to come to Tuba. The police refused to go to the village because no one there could speak to them in Hebrew. Two Israeli soldiers arrived in Tuba on Monday morning, but did not speak Arabic and so could not communicate with the villagers.

The Ali Awad family is considering making a complaint to the Israeli police, despite the fact that all their previous complaints about settler attacks, vandalism or harassment have not yet resulted in any indictments or compensation. On 21 March 2011, a masked settler from the illegal outpost of Havat Ma’on stabbed Mahmoud Ibrahim Ali Awad as the Palestinian traveled by donkey from Tuba to the city of Yatta. Mahmoud Ali Awad spent a week in the hospital recovering from stab wounds on his chest and arm.

Christian Peacemaker Teams and Operation Dove have maintained an international presence in At-Tuwani and the South Hebron Hills since 2004.

Israeli forced demolish tent village in the South Hebron Hills

7 May 2011 | Christian Peacemaker Teams

On Friday, May 6, the Israeli military declared the area of Amniyr, a Palestinian village south of Yatta, a closed military zone and chased away the families who own the land, after demolishing structures and trees on the land the day before. The demolitions at 5 a.m. on Thursday, May 5, when the military destroyed six shacks and uprooted 150 olive trees in Amniyr.

On Friday, the Palestinians of Amniyr had returned to the land and hung six tarps to create makeshift tents. The Israeli army issued a “closed military zone” order on the area at 9:00 a.m. At 2:00 p.m. seven military jeeps arrived, including police and border police. The commanders showed the order and gave the people one minute to leave.

Using sound bombs and tear gas, the soldiers and police forced off the land all the Palestinians present—about thirty adults, many of them elderly, and ten children—as well as accompanying internationals. One woman, Fatmi Mahmoud Jaboor, passed out due to the bombs and required medical attention. The Palestinian Red Cross evacuated her to the hospital, and she was dismissed in the evening.

At 7 p.m. four military jeeps returned to Amniyr and destroyed the tarps and what had been left standing in the area.

This is the third time in ten weeks that the military has destroyed trees, tents, dwellings and other structures on the land of Amniyr, effectively demolishing the entire village and affecting six families. Although Amniyr is Palestinian-owned private property, Israel has declared it “state land” and prohibits the people of Amniyr from building any structures or using the land. A local Palestinian leader has told CPT that he believes Israel is trying to confiscate the land of Amniyr because of its proximity to the Israeli settlement of Susiya.

Operation Dove and Christian Peacemaker Teams have maintained an international presence in At-Tuwani and South Hebron Hills since 2004. Follow breaking news from the South Hebron hills on Twitter at cptpalestine.