Israeli police seize a Palestinian man’s car 

(Italian follow)

March 25, 2015
At Tuwani – South Hebron Hills, West Bank

This morning, the Israeli police seized a Palestinian man’s car permanently because he was driving on the Bypass Road 317 without the Israeli authorization, which is very expensive and difficult to obtain.
The networks of Israeli bypass roads are built in order to isolate Palestinian cities and villages, restricting in this way their freedom of movement.
The Palestinian decided to burn the verbal of the seizure in front of the police men as a clear signal of protest against unjust Israeli law.

La polizia israeliana sequestra la macchina di un palestinese

22 marzo 2015
At Tuwani – Colline a sud di Hebron, Cisgiordania

Questa mattina, la polizia israeliana ha sequestrato in maniera definitiva la macchina di un uomo palestinese perché stava guidando sulla Bypass Road 317 senza apposita autorizzazione, che è molto costosa e difficile da ottenere. Le strade denominate bypass road sono costruite come una rete che ha l’obiettivo di isolare le città e i villaggi palestinesi, limitando così la loro libertà di movimento.
Il palestinese ha deciso di bruciare il verbale del sequestro davanti ai poliziotti come chiaro segno di protesta contro l’ingiusta legge israeliana.

(Italian follow)

On February 11, in the morning, Israeli soldiers and police arrested one man on the bypass road (317) near the village of Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills, and then raided the nearby village of Jawwaya. The man who was arrested had obvious signs of violence, including blood and a scratch on his face, and was probably injured during the arrest. While this man was arrested on the road, Israeli army and police raided Jawayya, where they damaged a tent used by villagers for the storage of livestock food. The soldiers slashed the walls of the tent, probably with a knife.

Around 7:30 am, a family from Jawayya called international volunteers and told them that there were soldiers in Jawayya village. As the volunteers were walking to Jawwaya on the bypass road (317) they saw a police vehicle next to two other cars, which had damaged wheels and flat tires. When the volunteers arrived at the vehicles they saw one man on the ground near one of the vehicles at the side of the road. He was blindfolded and handcuffed with his hands behind his back, and he appeared to have been beaten on the face and mouth. The soldiers loaded the man into one of the vehicles with damaged tires and the soldiers then drove all of the vehicles away.

At around 8:20 am, two international volunteers arrived in the village of Jawwaya, where Israeli soldiers and police were searching houses and tents, probably looking for another man. One of the soldiers attacked one of the volunteers, and then attempted to steal a camera from another. According to Palestinian witnesses, soldiers and police slashed large holes in a tent used as a shelter for the food for the animals and they fired shots into the sky in order to intimidate the inhabitants of the village. At about 8:45 am the soldiers and police left Jawwaya.

This is the second Israeli settler’s “price tag” in the last 10 days in the area

(Italian follows)

January 10, 2015

At-Tuwani – South Hebron Hills, West Bank

On January 9, in the morning, Palestinians found 40 olive trees and 3 almond trees seriously damaged probably by Israeli settlers. In the afternoon, other inhabitants of the South Hebron Hills discovered about 150 olive trees cut and seriously damaged.

At about 10 a.m. some Palestinians from the Awad and Abu ‘Aram families discovered on their properties several 32 year-old olive trees and three almond trees cut. These trees were located near the village of Qawawis, in the South Hebron Hills area, between the Israeli illegal outpost of Mitzpe Yair and the Israeli settlement of Suseya, beside the Bypass road 317.

At about 2:35 p.m. another oversized destruction was discovered in the same area, between the Bypass road 317 and Suseya settlement. Due to bad weather conditions, neither the Israeli police nor the Palestinian owners have been able to verify the exact number of olive trees damaged. One of the 16 Palestinian owners, all from the Shatat family, estimated in about 150 the number of olive trees damaged.

This is the second Israeli settler’s ‘price tag’ against the Palestinian inhabitants of the South Hebron Hills in the last 10 days. On December 31, as witnessed by Palestinians, at about 3:00 am two settlers wrote with black spray near the front door of a Palestinian’s house in the village of Ad-Deirat this sentence: “Revenge of Jewish Kingdom“. Then, settlers broke a window and threw a molotov cocktail inside the house (read more).

Palestinians in South Hebron hills have suffered the Israeli settlers’ presence since the 70s. The settlers, occupying Palestinian-owned lands and destroying their properties, deprive the Palestinians of their main livelihood. Moreover the settlers, with their ongoing violence, prevent Palestinians from having a regular daily life and restrict their freedom of movement, thus forcing them to leave the South Hebron hills area.

Nevertheless the Palestinian communities of the South Hebron Hills area are still strongly committed to nonviolent popular resistance against the Israeli occupation.

Operation Dove has maintained an international presence in At-Tuwani and South Hebron Hills since 2004.

Pictures of the damaged trees: http://goo.gl/aLQia2

[Note: According to the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Hague Regulations, the International Court of Justice, and several United Nations resolutions, all Israeli settlements and outposts in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal. Most settlement outposts, including Havat Ma’on (Hill 833), are considered illegal also under Israeli law.]

(Italian follows)

January 6, 2015

At-Tuwani – South Hebron Hills, West Bank

During the last school-week, the Israeli military escort failed three times in accompanying the schoolchildren from the South Hebron hills villages of Tuba and Maghayir Al Abeed.

In order to reach the school of At-Tuwani, the Palestinian children, aged between 6 and 17 years, usually walk, accompanied by an Israeli military escort, through the shortest route (about 20 minutes) that passes between the Israeli settlement of Ma’on and the outpost of Havat Ma’on (Hill 833). This route is the main road linking their villages and At-Tuwani and it is dangerous for the children since they frequently suffer from the attacks and harassment of the settlers.

On January 4, the schoolchildren waited for the escort until 7:53 a.m. but the soldiers didn’t show up. The children had to attend an exam at 8:00 so, in order to not lose additional time, chose to go through an other longer path, in which they were attacked several times in the past. International volunteers accompanied them in place of the Israeli soldiers.

On December 31, the children arrived at the designated escort meeting place at 10.30 am in order to be accompanied from At Tuwani to Tuba, but the Israeli military escort wasn’t there. The children waited in the winter morning for the army until 11.45 a.m. The children chose to go through the very dangerous shortest route between Ma’on settlement and Havat Ma’on outpost without any escort.

On December 28, the schoolchildren arrived at the designated escort meeting place at 11.08 am, but the army wasn’t there. The children waited for the army until 11.45 am. After that the children chose to go home through an other longer path, but not less dangerous, accompanied by International volunteers in place of the Israeli escort.

In this half school year (from 24 August 2014 to 4 January 2015) Operation Dove volunteers, who monitor the Israeli military escort, collected the following data: on a total of 170 cases, six times the children were not escorted on their trip from and to school. In contravention of the protective mandate of the escort, in this half school year on 98,53% of the cases (on 136 of 170 recorded cases in which the volunteers monitored the military escort) the Israeli soldiers failed to fully complete the escort, not walking until the end of the settlement. Furthermore in this period on 23% of the cases the escort refused to walk with the children, as establish the agreement between the DCO and At-Tuwani major. On 49,4% of the mornings, the children were late to school by more than 5 minutes due to escort delay. The children lost 9 hours because of late or missing military escorts. On 54,1% of their school days, the children had to wait more than 5 minutes after school for the military escort. In the afternoons, the children waited it a total of 22 hours.

Operation Dove has maintained an international presence in At-Tuwani and South Hebron Hills since 2004.

Pictures: http://goo.gl/F9Y2VA

[Note: According to the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Hague Regulations, the International Court of Justice, and several United Nations resolutions, all Israeli settlements and outposts in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal. Most settlement outposts, including Havat Ma’on (Hill 833), are considered illegal also under Israeli law.]

Israeli settlers burn a house in Ad-Deirat. Israeli forces demolish a tent in Al-Mufaqarah.

(Italian follows)

December 31, 2014

At-Tuwani – On December 31, at about 3:00 am, Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian house in the South Hebron hills village of Ad-Deirat. In the same day, at about 12:50 pm, Israeli forces demolished a tent in the village of Al-Mufaqarah.

As witnessed by Palestinians, at about 3:00 am two settlers wrote with black spray near the front door of a Palestinian’s house in the village of Ad-Deirat a sentence, in which is recognizable only the word: “revenge“. Then, settlers broke a window and threw a molotov cocktail inside the house. The molotov cocktail damaged furniture and the television, but didn’t injure any Palestinian living in the house as they were all sleeping in another room.

In the same day, at about 12:50 pm, Israeli forces demolished a tent and a cement base for a tent, both belonging to a Palestinian family, in the village of Al-Mufaqarah. The tent was a storage of food for the sheep and for the wood used by the family to protect itself from the winter cold.

Palestinians in South Hebron hills have suffered the Israeli settlers’ presence since the 70s. The settlers, occupying Palestinian-owned lands, deprive the Palestinians of their main livelihood. Moreover the settlers, with their ongoing violence, prevent Palestinians from having a regular daily life and restrict their freedom of movement, thus forcing them to leave the South Hebron hills area.

Ad-Deirat and Al-Mufaqarah villages are located in Area C, under Israeli military and administrative control. That means that all the constructions must be approved by the Israeli administration. Israel denies Palestinians the right to build on the 70 percent of Area C, which is about the 44 percent of all the West Bank, while within the remaining 30 percent a series of restrictions are applied in order to prevent Palestinians from obtaining building permits (source: OCHA oPt).

Nevertheless the Palestinian communities of the South Hebron Hills area are still strongly committed to nonviolent popular resistance against the Israeli occupation.

Operation Dove has maintained an international presence in At-Tuwani and the South Hebron Hills since 2004.

Pictures of the settlers ’price tag’ attack in Ad-Deirat: http://goo.gl/hrU4RJ

Video of the demolition in Al-Mufaqarah: http://youtu.be/Veht8zZuCfY

[Note: According to the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Hague Regulations, the International Court of Justice, and several United Nations resolutions, all Israeli settlements and outposts in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal. Most settlement outposts, including Havat Ma’on (Hill 833), are considered illegal also under Israeli law.]

On November 2014, the Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII decided to join the BDS campaign launched in 2005 with an appeal signed by 171 Palestinian civil society organizations. It is a global campaign for Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions (BDS) direct to Israel to ensure that certain obligations are complied with, according to International law. These obligations are:

– to end the occupation and colonization of all Arab territories occupied in June 1967, and to dismantle the separation wall;

– to recognize the fundamental Right to equality of all Israeli Arab-Palestinian citizens;

– to respect, protect and promote the Right of Palestinian refugees to return to their houses and their properties, as established by UN Resolution 194.

The Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII endorsed the appeal coming from Palestinian civil society, committing to share information (through Operazione Colomba/Operation Dove) about every campaign as Stop That Train, Stop Sodastream, Stop Agrexco, Cartellino rosso all’apartheid israeliana, BDS Armamenti, No Acea Mekerot.

More info at:

http://www.bdsmovement.net/call#Italian

http://bdsitalia.org

http://bdsitalia.org/index.php/la-campagna-bds/campagna-bds

La Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII aderisce alla campagna BDS

Nel mese di novembre la Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII ha deciso di aderire alla campagna BDS. Avviata nel 2005 con un appello sottoscritto da 171 organizzazioni della società civile palestinese, è una campagna globale di Boicottaggio, Disinvestimento e Sanzioni (BDS) dirette allo Stato di Israele affinché rispetti determinati obblighi derivanti dal Diritto Internazionale e precisamente:

– terminare l’occupazione e la colonizzazione di tutte le terre arabe occupate nel giugno 1967 e smantellare il muro di separazione;

– riconoscere il Diritto fondamentale dei cittadini arabo-palestinesi di Israele alla piena uguaglianza;

– rispettare, tutelare e promuovere il Diritto dei rifugiati palestinesi di ritornare alle proprie case e proprietà come stabilito dalla risoluzione ONU 194.

La Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII ha aderito all’appello della società civile palestinese, impegnandosi a dare informazioni (attraverso Operazione Colomba) su ogni singola campagna, come Stop That Train, Stop Sodastream, Stop Agrexco, Cartellino rosso all’apartheid israeliana, BDS Armamenti, No Acea Mekerot.

Maggiori info:

http://www.bdsmovement.net/call#Italian

http://bdsitalia.org

http://bdsitalia.org/index.php/la-campagna-bds/campagna-bds

After the Israeli army carried on several demolitions in the Bedouin village of Um Al Kher during the months of October and November, Palestinian inhabitants together with Israeli activists and supported by several International NGOs are now building new structures.

The European Union provided three tin-plated shelters to be used as houses, through the program “Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection”. Palestinians together with Israeli activists rebuilt the traditional oven for the third time, after it was recently illegally demolished once again; worked on an old well that can now provide water to the village through pumps; built a dirt patch that leads to the above-mentioned well.

On November 19 the DCO issued demolition orders for the three tin-plated shelters. Nevertheless Palestinian inhabitants of Um Al Kher are still strongly committed to the nonviolent popular resistance as a way of defending their right to live on their own land.

The well recently improved with water pumps.

Palestinians and Israeli activists work at the new dirt-patch on December 13.

One of three new tin-plated shelters recently provided by the European Union and already under demolition order.

In corso i lavori di ricostruzione nel villaggio beduino di Um Al Kher, nelle colline a sud di Hebron.

Dopo le varie demolizioni effettuate dall’esercito israeliano nei mesi di ottobre e novembre nel villaggio beduino di Um Al Kher, gli abitanti palestinesi stanno ora costruendo nuove strutture con l’aiuto di attivisti israeliani e il supporto di varie ONG internazionali.

L’Unione Europea, attraverso il programma “Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection”, ha fornito al villaggio tre case di lamiera. Palestinesi e attivisti israeliani hanno ricostruito il taboon, forno tradizionale, per la terza volta dopo che era stato illegalmente nuovamente demolito di recente; hanno apportato migliorie ad un vecchio pozzo che ora fornisce acqua al villaggio tramite tubature; costruito una strada sterrata che porta al suddetto pozzo.

Il 19 novembre la DCO (District Cordination Office, una branca dell’esercito israeliano che si occupa dell’amministrazione civile nei territori occupati palestinesi) ha emesso ordini di demolizione per le tre case di lamiera. Nonostante questo, gli abitanti palestinesi di Um Al Kher sono fermamente impegnati nella resistenza popolare nonviolenta quale via per affermare il proprio diritto a vivere sulla propria terra.

Despite the ongoing expansions of Israeli illegal outposts and the restrictions on accessing Palestinian owned lands inflicted by the Israeli civil administration, Palestinians successfully plowed their lands in the South Hebron Hills.

During the last few weeks Palestinian families gathered on their own lands to plow with tractors or donkeys. Palestinians from At Tuwani and Tuba villages plowed the lands surrounding Havat Ma’on Israeli illegal outpost, that during the month of November expanded with 25 iron pylons hammered in the ground rounding the border of the outpost.

Palestinians from Al Mufaqarah plowed the lands nearby Avigayil Israeli illegal outpost. On December 3, Israeli soldiers came twice toward the Palestinians and prevented them from working saying they were not allowed to plow that land. Palestinians asked Israeli soldiers to call the DCO and check their right to plow there. When DCO arrived on the place, Palestinians could prove they were allowed to work. On December 4, Israeli soldiers again came on the place and argued with International volunteers on the right of Palestinians to work the same land, but Palestinians kept on working without stopping for the presence of the army.

Palestinians from Jawwaya village had to wait the permission of the DCO in order to plow the land in front of Ma’on Israeli settlement’s entrance. That Palestinian owned land was declared a closed military area by the Israeli army on the spring of 2013 after different episodes of violence perpetuated by Israeli settlers toward Palestinians . On December 3, Palestinians could plow while Israeli soldiers and DCO officers monitored the all work.

“Plowing our own lands despite the violent policies of the Israeli civil administration, aimed to prevent us from accessing our basic resources, is an act of resistance in this area” says a member of the South Hebron Hills Popular Committee.

Palestinians plowing nearby Havat Ma’on illegal Israeli outpost on November 21.

Palestinians plowing in front of Ma’on Israeli settlement’s entrance, on December 3.

Stagione della semina 2014

I palestinesi delle colline a sud di Hebron sono riusciti a coltivare le proprie terre nonostante continui lavori di espansione degli avamposti illegali israeliani e le restrizioni sull’accesso alla terra inflitte dall’amministrazione civile israeliana dei territori occupati.

Nelle ultime settimane famiglie palestinesi si sono riunite per coltivare le proprie terre usando aratri trainati da trattori o asini. Palestinesi dei villaggi di At Tuwani e Tuba hanno seminato sulle terre circostanti l’avamposto israeliano illegale di Havat Ma’on, che durante il mese di novembre si è aspanso con 25 pali di ferro piantati attorno i confini dell’avamposto.

Palestinesi di Al Mufaqarah hanno coltivato le terre adiacenti l’avamposto israeliano illlegale di Avigayil. Il 3 dicembre soldati israeliani per due volte si sono avvicinati ai palestinesi impedendogli di lavorare, dicendogli che non avevano il permesso di coltivare quella terra. I palestinesi hanno chiesto che venisse chiamata la DCO (District Coordination Office) per dimostrare il proprio diritto di coltivare la suddetta terra. Arrivata sul posto la DCO, i palestinesi hanno potuto provare il loro diritto a lavorare la propria terra. Il 4 dicembre, soldati israeliani sono tornati sul posto e hanno discusso con i volontari internazionali presenti riguardo al diritto dei palestinesi di coltivare quella terra, i palestinesi hanno continuato ad arare senza fermarsi nonostante la presenza dell’esercito.

Palestinesi del villaggio di Jawwaya hanno dovuto aspettare il permesso della DCO per coltivare la terra di fronte all’entrata della colonia israeliana di Ma’on. Quella terra di proprietà palestinese è stata dichiarata un’area militare chiusa dall’esercito israeliano nella primavera del 2013, dopo diversi episodi di violenza perpetuati sui palestinesi da coloni israeliani di Ma’on. Il 3 dicembre, i palestinesi hanno potuto seminare mentre soldati e ufficiali della DCO hanno monitorato i lavori.

“Coltivare la nostra terra nonostante le violente politiche dell’Amministrazione civile israeliana, che puntano a negarci l’accesso alle risorse essenziali, è un atto di resistenza in quest’area” dice un membro del Comitato Popolare delle Colline a Sud di Hebron.