At Tuwani – On April 10 the Israeli military escort didn’t accompany the Palestinian children from Tuba and Maghayir Al Abeed on the way back from school to their villages.

The children reached the meeting point with the military escort at 12:15 pm, the escort was supposed to arrive at 12:30 pm as every Thursday. Where the children wait is a dangerous place, very close to the Israeli settlement of Ma’on and the illegal outpost of Havat Ma’on. Even if International volunteers made different phone calls to the DCL (District Coordination Liaison) and directly to the Israeli army office the escort didn’t arrive. So at 1:20 pm the children decided to reach their homes by a longer path that crosses Palestinian owned lands very close to the south-western side of Havat Ma’on outpost. Because of the danger, International volunteers accompanied the children. At 1:50 pm two young Israeli settlers attacked children and volunteers, throwing rocks with slingshots. The attack lasted about 3 minutes and forced the children to run toward the hills in order to reach the Palestinian village of Tuba.

The misconduct of the Israeli military escort often endangers the Palestinian children whom the soldiers should protect. The schoolchildren were attacked by Israeli settlers also on April 9, while the escort was present: http://tuwaniresiste.operazionecolomba.it/?p=3130

Israeli forces have cut water pipes reaching Ein Hijleh five times in the last two days. Army siege of the village continues, restricting movement of visitors and solidarity groups coming to the village. Vehicles carrying water and food supplies have especially been targeted by Israeli military and police forces. One Palestinian from the village was detained today by Israeli soldiers and later freed by residents after an argument with the forces present.

Ein Hijleh residents spent the day working the land (planting trees and cleaning) and renovating houses in preparation for large groups arriving Friday for prayer. In addition, Areej organization arrived to the village today and installed three solar panels. Other organizations, including the Child Center in Nazareth and Nablus Municipality were welcomed by Palestinians in Ein Hijleh.

Archbishop Atallah Hanna visited the village on Wednesday and declared his full support, and that of churches in Palestine, of Ein Hijleh and Palestinian steadfastness here.

A group of diplomats also visited Ein Hijleh yesterday. The six European diplomats were forced to walk a few kilometers after Israeli forced refused to allow them to enter the village with their vehicles.

Palestinian officials from the Palestinian Authority visited Ein Hijleh today, Thursday, including the Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Health, and Minister of District Localities. In addition, a Palestinian Knesset member, Hanna Swaid, came to Ein Hijleh to show unity and support with the Palestinian struggle. Both local and international solidarity groups continue to visit the village. Showing their support, they have also learned about the reality of people living in the village and the Jordan Valley in general.

Video showing an Israeli soldier cutting a water pipe in Ein Hijleh:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwfkxk8JT28

For more information please contact Ein Hijleh media committee:

Diana Alzeer 0592400300 or 0549168321

Abdallah Abu Rahmeh 0599107069

Salah Khawaja 0598886943

Thaer Anees 0549292422

Finalmente hai potuto vedere, finalmente hai potuto toccare con mano, sentire sulla tua pelle cosa si prova, trovarsi in questo silenzio, sopra questa terra stanca e sotto il cielo pastello tuonante. Forse ora ti senti anche te parte di questa vita in bilico, certo, con il tempo è facile qui, altro che muri, quelli li vogliono solo loro. Aspettavo questo momento, lo aspettavo da prima che arrivassi, da prima e prima ancora, mi ascolti? Abbiamo mangiato lo stesso sale, è vero la tua lingua si contorce ancora, gli occhi ti si strizzano, ma piano piano passerà vedrai, la tua faccia si stenderà, niente più smorfie o sbuffi, tutto passerà, tutto sarà normale. E’ così da sempre, da quando sono nato, quindi cosa vuoi da me? No, non chiedermi cosa starei facendo a quest’ora se blablabla, solo te hai tempo per pensare a queste cose! Ma torniamo a noi, ti dicevo, mi fa piacere che ci sia anche tu. Voglio chiederti una cosa, sì insomma, riguardo a prima, pensi che sia veramente normale? Io vivo con la paura, tutte le mie emozioni sono sfasate dal costante pericolo, poi ci sono anche le botte… ma quelle il più delle volte passano, la paura invece resta.
Lo sai, queste cose te le sto dicendo perché siamo amici, ma vedi, anche adesso, quest’ingiustizia che ti sto raccontando io la racconto come la mia giornata, con gli occhi fermi e lo spirito fiammante. Avrai capito come viviamo qui, il peso che abbiamo sulle nostre spalle noi lo portiamo fieri, dritti con la schiena, e quando questo ci piega noi rialziamo la testa, guardiamo fisso l’orizzonte e cantiamo una canzone che troviamo sempre in fondo al nostro cuore. Loro, quelli che ci fanno la guerra, non l’hanno ancora capito, ma noi siamo già vincenti. Come dici? Ahah forse sì dovrebbero rilassarsi e bere del tè in compagnia. Lo sai perché ti sto facendo questo discorso? E’ per avvicinarmi a te e farti riflettere. Il mio presente è fatto di limiti, quelli veri, li hai visti anche te i muri che abbiamo davanti, ma nonostante tutto, io ho deciso di combatterli. Credo nelle mie radici e non nei confini imposti e, soprattutto, non voglio arrendermi dando per scontata questa violenza, detto in poche parole, resisto. Ma arriviamo al punto.
Dimmi, dopo che hai mangiato con i nostri figli, sei stato curato dalle nostre madri e benedetto dai nostri padri, dopo che hai respirato tutta questa polvere e hai visto il nostro sangue sulle pietre, che cosa pensi di te stesso? Non voglio una risposta subito, riflettici sopra e in tranquillità mi dirai la prossima volta, ma tieni a mente questa cosa, la tua più grande ingiustizia sarà quella di essere infelice.

Daoud

January 13, 2014

At Tuwani – This morning Palestinians discovered 20 olive trees destroyed alongside bypass road 317 in the South Hebron Hills area of At Tuwani.

The olive tree groves belongs to the Al Amor family from At Tuwani and had been planted 34 years ago. At 9.35 am the owners, Operation Dove volunteers and B’tselem staff members gathered near the destroyed trees, waiting for the police. After one hour the Israeli police and army arrived to the area and spent four hours documenting the incident.

Members of the Al Amor family testified that another 10 olive trees were damaged in the same orchard only two months ago. This field is located alongside bypass road 317 on the way from Ma’on settlement to Avigayil outpost and is not visible from At Tuwani, thus rendering it easier for vandals to damage trees over the past few years in this area.

The number of Palestinian-owned trees uprooted and damaged in the South Hebron Hills area in the last five months stand at 195. Olive trees are an essential resource for the Palestinian community, and their damage causes serious economic loss.

Nevertheless the Palestinian communities of the South Hebron Hills area are still strongly involved using the nonviolence as a way to resist to the Israeli occupation.

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

Pictures of the incident: click here

[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 January 6, the Israeli military escort failed to accompany Palestinian school children in the South Hebron Hills on the gravel road from At Tuwani to the village of Tuba. The children arrived at the designated escort meeting place at 10.30 am, but the army wasn’t there. The children waited in the winter morning for the army until 11.05 am, and when the soldiers failed to appear volunteers from OD accompanied the children via a longer path.  However, when the group arrived near the illegal outpost of Havat Ma’on, they encountered five settlers. The children waited an additional twenty minutes in the Humra valley until the settlers came back to the outpost. The children were frightened of the settlers and felt very unsafe, and OD volunteers accompanied them via an even longer route.

The children arrived in Tuba at 12.10 pm instead of 10.50 am, if the military escort had arrived on time.

Since the beginning of the school year, the children were forced to walk via the long way without a military escort 10 times.

For further information on the military escort and how it was carried out in the past years, the report “The Dangerous Road to Education . Palestinian Students Suffer Under settler Violence and Military Negligence” is available at: http://goo.gl/CXfi9

—

Lunedì 6 gennaio la scorta militare dell’esercito israeliano non ha accompagnato gli studenti di Tuba che frequentano la scuola di At Tuwani, sulla via del ritorno. I soldati avrebbero dovuto incontrare i bambini nel luogo concordato alle 10.30 ma non si sono presentati. I bambini hanno aspettato i militari fino alle 11.05 ma la scorta non si è presentata. Data la situazione, gli studenti hanno deciso di intraprendere una strada più lunga, accompagnati dai volontari di Operazione Colomba. Tuttavia, quando il gruppo è arrivato nei pressi dell’estremità meridionale di Havat Ma’on, cinque coloni non hanno permesso ai bambini di proseguire. Questi ultimi hanno così aspettato altri 20 minuti nella valle di Humra, fino a che i coloni non sono rientrati nell’avamposto. Tuttavia, dato che i bambini si sentivano ancora in pericolo, hanno percorso una strada ancora più lunga, sempre accompagnati dai volontari.

Gli studenti sono arrivati a Tuba alle 12.10, ma se la scorta militare si fosse presentata in orario i bambini avrebbero potuto essere a casa alle 10.50.

Dall’inizio dell’anno scolastico i bambini hanno percorso una via molto più lunga e senza scorta militare per ben 10 volte.

Per ulteriori informazioni sulla suddetta scorta e sul suo andamento negli anni passati è disponibile il rapporto “The Dangerous Road to Education. Palestinian Students Suffer Under Settler Violence and Military Negligence” all’indirizzo: http://goo.gl/CXfi9

Alle donne e agli uomini che hanno saputo, che sanno e che sapranno guardare oltre l’orizzonte.

Che l’anno sia buono.

Viva la libertà!

Responding to damage claim, the state claims ‘price tag’ victims at fault for failing to duly protect their land.

By Amira Hass, Dec. 26, 2013

The state is claiming that Palestinians who were the recent target of a “price tag” attack are to blame for their misfortune – because they failed to adequately protect their plot of land.

This position arises from the state’s response to a damages claim filed by the owners of an olive grove situated in Area C, under full Israeli military and civilian control. The IDF, for its part, is refusing to install lighting around the olive grove to protect it from future vandalism, arguing that a claim for damages has already been filed.

The grove, which belongs to the Amour family, lies adjacent to highway 317 in the southern Hebron hills, across from A-Tawani village, the settlement of Maon and the outpost Havat Maon. This case can well serve as a litmus test for the seriousness of declarations made by civilian and military authorities, according to which they will take action against price tag vigilantes.

In 2006, unknown persons cut down all 120 trees in the grove. In 2011, part of a surrounding fence was destroyed and a tree was felled. On the night of May 9 of this year, half of the trees belonging to the Amour family were chopped down, and the act was accompanied by a message sprayed in Hebrew letters, saying that “price tag is fed up with thieves – mutual responsibility” and “regards from Eviatar”. The perpetrators used hand saws to achieve their mission.

After each of the incidents, the Amour family filed a complaint with the police, asking for protection against future vandalism.

Ten days after the third incident, attorney Itai Mack, representing the family, appealed to Brig. Gen. Moti Almoz, who was then head of the Civil Administration in the territories, asking him to specify what actions he would undertake to prevent further acts of vandalism. Mack was relying on a 2006 decision by the High Court of Justice which ruled that the authorities must “devote manpower for the protection of Palestinian property, must open an immediate inquiry when reports of harassment are received, and send out patrols by security forces to locate such activities.”

Almoz’s bureau responded by saying that the person to handle such matters was Lt. Ronnie Rivlin, the officer in charge of public complaints at the IDF’s Central Command. However, two letters to Lt. Rivlin, sent on May 23 and June 5 by attorney Mack, went unanswered.

Published on 19 December 2013, written by Alternative Information Center

A damaged roof after the storm

Last week a powerful snowstorm hit the West Bank, bringing the region to a standstill. The small communities of the West Bank’s South Hebron Hills did not escape the extreme weather conditions and a number of properties in Khallet Athaba’ and Al Mufaqarah were reported damaged.

On the night of Wednesday the 11^thof December, snow fell on the South Hebron Hills and gale force winds battered the small communities, causing a number of damages. The community of Khallet Athaba’, which lies within the borders of Firing Zone 918, was the most affected.

The residential tent of one family was torn open by the gale, allowing gushes of water to leak inside. At another home, the concrete bricks of the structure crumbled and collapsed, causing the roof to cave in.

A window made from plastic sheeting was completely destroyed by the strong gale, letting rain and snow inside and causing partial flooding, which destroyed many of the family’s belongings.

The roof of another house was shattered by a boulder that detached from a nearby rock face and hit the metal sheet covering the small shelter. Fortunately, the owner managed to escape his home before it was too late. The house was flooded and all of the residents’ belongings were ruined by water and mud.

The family, including small children, found themselves out in the open and decided to move into a cave normally used to shelter livestock.

By Amira Hass | Dec. 22, 2013

On commander’s orders, group that came to protect Palestinian farmers was turned back at border.

Soldiers prevented activists from Ta’ayush Arab-Jewish Partnership from entering the West Bank on Saturday, by order of the regional commander. For 13 years members of Ta’ayush have been accompanying dozens of Palestinian shepherds and farmers on the southern West Bank every Saturday, to help protect them from Jewish settlers who regularly try to keep them from reaching their private lands.

The soldiers separated the cars of Ta’ayush members from the rest of the Israeli cars entering the West Bank through the checkpoint on the Tunnel Road (Route 60) and the Betar checkpoint. When they reached the checkpoint, south of Jerusalem, Border Police officers showed them a military order, signed by the commander of the Etzion Regional Brigade, Col. Amit Yamin, restricting their movements.

At the Betar checkpoint the soldiers told the group they were waiting for the order to arrive from brigade headquarters and ordered them to remain until it did. The activists waited for a time but when the order did not arrive they passed through the checkpoint on foot.

Soldiers and police officers pursued them. Soldiers confiscated the keys of the Palestinian taxi the activists had boarded, and only returned them when the group got out of the cab.

Some of the Ta’ayush members did manage to reach the southern Hebron Hills, but at five different Jewish communities where they planned to help nearby Palestinian villagers they were shown documents declaring the areas closed military areas and signed by Judea Brigade commander Col. Avi Balut.

The activists and the Palestinian landowners were ordered to leave the communities: the settlements of Sussia and Carmel and the unauthorized outposts Maon, Havat Maon, Avigail and Mitzpeh Yair. Three of the original group of 20 activists, whom the soldiers at the Tunnel Road checkpoint did not identify, did escort one of the Palestinian farmers in the area of the Nokdim settlement.

The order reads: No person shall pass through the checkpoint except with permission given by me or a person authorized by me.

The IDF Spokesman stated: “The IDF is responsible for maintaining law and order in Judea and Samaria. Every week there are provocative gatherings in the area of Sussia and Mitzpe Yair, which have at times led to violent confrontations between residents of the area and even with the security forces. In accordance with the assessment and security considerations, it was decided not to allow free passage to all the buses, which, according to the assessment, were carrying people who were liable to disrupt public order, and to examine their entrance individually at a number of checkpoints in the southern area of Judea and Samaria.”

Ta’ayush activists near Havat Ma’on