Every saturday, since one year and a half, Palestinians together with Israeli activists organise nonviolent actions to claim the right to return to their land in the South Hebron Hills, on which settlers from the Israeli illegal outpost of Mitzpe Yair have built greenhouses. The land is situated between the Palestinian village of Shi’b Al Butum and the Israeli illegal outpost of Mitzpe Yair.

This land is called Umm Al Arayes and it’s a Palestinian private propriety.  Demolition orders have been issued against the greenhouses by the Israeli District Coordination Office. The Israeli army declaration of lands as closed military zone impedes the Palestinians from accessing their land. Since 2001 the Palestinians in the area have faced restricted access to these lands.

Palestinians from the South Hebron Hills keep facing the Israeli occupation through the popular nonviolent resistance.

For more information about the area you can see also: http://tuwaniresiste.operazionecolomba.it/?s=Umm+Al+Arayes

2014-05-10: Isareli army and Border police preventing Palestinina from accessing their private land in Umm Al Arayes

Palestinesi continuano a lottare per la terra a Umm Al Arayes

Ogni sabato, da un anno e mezzo, palestinesi insieme ad attivisti israeliani organizzano azioni nonviolente per reclamare il diritto di accesso alla propria terra nelle colline a sud di Hebron, dove i coloni dell’avamposto illegale israeliano di Mitzpe Yair hanno costruito delle serre. La terra in questione si trova tra il villaggio palestinese di Shi’b Al Butum e l’avamposto illegale israeliano di Mitzpe Yair.

Questa terra è chiamata Umm Al Arayes ed proprietà privata palestinese. Contro le serre sono stati consegnati ordini di demolizione dal Ufficio di Coordinamento Distrettuale dell’Amministrazione Civile Israeliana (DCO). Ai palestinesi è impedito l’accesso alla propria terra in quanto dichiarata dall’esercito israeliano “zona militare chiusa”.

I palestinesi delle colline a sud di Hebron continuano ad affrontare l’occupazione israeliana tramite la resistenza popolare nonviolenta.

Per maggiori informazioni riguaradanti l’area potete vedere anche: http://tuwaniresiste.operazionecolomba.it/?s=Umm+Al+Arayes

The only family who still lives permanently in the South Hebron Hills Palestinian village of Bir Al Idd is under the continuos threat of Mitzpe Yair and Nof Nesher illegal Israeli outposts.

On May 7, in the early morning, International volunteers filmed an Israeli settler grazing his flock on Palestinian owned cultivated fields. As said by Palestinian witnesses, the Israeli shepherd has been going on that land almost every morning in the last two weeks. The owners of the land are Bir Al Idd inhabitants and the area is military closed to Israeli citizens.

Harassments and episodes of violence against the Palestinian inhabitants of Bir Al Idd are nearly daily. On March 28 the family was deprived of their only source of energy, as the settlers damaged solar panels. For more information about this incident and Bir Al Idd you can see also: http://tuwaniresiste.operazionecolomba.it/?p=3096

The military closed area to Israeli citizens

Bir Al Idd ancora sotto minaccia

L’unica famiglia che vive ancora permanentemente nel villaggio palestinese di Bir Al Idd, nelle colline a sud di Hebron, è continuamente minacciata dai coloni degli avamposti israelini illegali di Mitzpe Yair e Nof Nesher.

Il 7 maggio, la mattina presto, volontari internazionali hanno filmato una colono israeliano mentre pascolava il suo gregge su campi coltivati di proprietà palestinese. Come riportato da testimoni palestinesi, il pastore israeliano è andato su quella terra quasi ogni mattina nelle ultime due settimane. I proprietari della terra sono abitanti di Bir Al Idd e si tratta di un’area militare chiusa ai cittadini israeliani.

Gli episodi di violenza contro gli abitanti palestinesi di Bir Al Idd sono quasi quotidiani. Il 28 marzo i coloni hanno danneggiato un sistema di pannelli solari e la famiglia è stata privata della loro unica fonte di energia. Per maggiori inforazioni sull’accaduto e su Bir Al Idd potete consultare anche: http://tuwaniresiste.operazionecolomba.it/?p=3096

Israeli settlers attacked with stones four Palestinian children who were returning home from school with their mother

(segue versione in italiano)

April 24, 2014

At Tuwani – On Thursday April 24 at around 12 pm, two Israeli settlers coming with a quad-bike from the illegal outpost of Havat Ma’on attacked with stones four Palestinian children and the mother of three of them, as they were returning from school to their homes in the villages of Tuba and Maghayir Al Abeed. A seven year old girl child was hit by a stone and fell while attempting to run away, badly injuring her head.

Her father, who witnessed the attack as he was harvesting his land situated on top of the Old Havat Ma’on hill, immediately brought her to the nearby village of At Tuwani, where an ambulance came to rescue her and bring her to the hospital.

The girl required five stitches and is now resting at home with her family.

The five Palestinians were coming from the village of At Tuwani, where the children attend school, through the only path they can use without the military escort that everyday accompanies the children from Tuba and Maghayir Al Abeed on their way to and from school since 2004. On this path Palestinians cross the hill where the outpost of Havat Ma’on was situated before it was dismantled in 2000 and moved to Hill 833. Through this hill passes a paved road used by Israeli settlers as a hiking trail. The five Palestinians were attacked by two Israeli settlers who were riding with their quad-bike on this trail.

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

For further information:
Operation Dove, 054 99 25 773

[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.]

The seven years old Palestinian girl injured by the attack

The Palestinian ambulance that brought the child and her father to the Hospital

COMUNICATO STAMPA

Bambina palestinese ferita gravemente da un attacco di coloni israeliani

Coloni israeliani hanno attaccato con pietre quattro bambini palestinesi che stavano facendo ritorno da scuola con la madre

14 aprile 2014

At Tuwani – Giovedì 24 aprile alle ore 12 circa, due coloni israeliani a bordo di un quad, proveniente dall’avamposto illegale di Havat Ma’on, hanno attaccato con delle pietre quattro bambini palestinesi e la madre di tre di loro mentre, dopo la scuola, stavano facendo ritorno ai villaggi di Maghayir Al Abeed e Tuba. Una bambina di sette anni è stata colpita da una pietra mentre cercava di fuggire e, cadendo, si è procurata una profonda ferita alla testa.

Il padre di questa, testimone dell’accaduto mentre stava lavorando la propria terra situata in cima alla collina di Old Havat Ma’on, ha portato la piccola al vicino villaggio di At Tuwani dove è arrivata un’ambulanza che le ha prestato i primi soccorsi e l’ha trasferita poi all’ospedale.

Alla bambina sono stati applicati cinque punti di sutura ed ora si trova a casa con la propria famiglia.

I cinque palestinesi arrivavano dal villaggio di At Tuwani, dove i bambini frequentano la scuola, attraverso l’unico sentiero che possono percorrere senza la presenza della scorta militare che, ogni giorno dal 2004, accompagna sulla via per e dalla scuola i bambini di Tuba e Maghayir Al Abeed. Questa via attraversa l’area in cui era ubicato l’avamposto di Havat Ma’on prima di essere smantellato nel 2000 e ricostruito sulla Hill 833. Su questa collina passa una strada sterrata usata dai coloni israeliani come percorso di trekking. I cinque palestinesi sono stati attaccati da due coloni israeliani che stavano percorrendo questo sentiero con un quad.

Operazione Colomba mantiene una presenza costante nel villaggio di At Tuwani e nell’area delle colline a sud di Hebron dal 2004.

Per informazioni:
Operazione Colomba, +972 54 99 25 773

[Note: secondo la IV Convenzione di Ginevra, la II Convenzione dell’Aja, la Corte Internazionale di Giustizia e numerose risoluzioni ONU, tutti gli insediamenti israeliani nei Territori Palestinesi Occupati sono illegali. Gli avamposti sono considerati illegali anche secondo la legge israeliana.]

Military escort misconduct exposes Palestinian children to risk on their way to and from school

(segue versione in italiano)

April 9, 2014

At Tuwani – On April 9, children from the Palestinian villages of Tuba and Maghayir Al Abeed were attacked by settlers coming from the Israeli illegal outpost of Havat Ma’on. The children were walking to school, accompanied by the Israeli military escort that has the duty to protect them everyday on their way to and from school, as established in 2004 by the Children Rights Committee of the Knesset. During the 2013-2014 school year the misconduct this military escort has exposed the children to dangerous risks in numerous occasions.

In order to reach the school in the village of At Tuwani, the Palestinian children coming from the nearby byvillages of Tuba and Maghayir Al Abeed, aged between 6 and 17 years, usually walk through the shortest route, about 20 minutes walking, that passes between the Israeli settlement of Ma’on and the illegal outpost of Havat Ma’on (Hill 833). This route is the main road linking their villages and At Tuwani.

On the morning of April 9 at 7:40 am, two Israeli children coming from the illegal outpost of Havat Ma’on attacked the Palestinian children by trowing them stones with slingshots. Two Palestinian girls, aged 12 and 14, were hit on their legs by the stones and were injured. At the moment of the attack the Israeli soldiers were not walking with the children as they are supposed to, but were all inside the military vehicle, following behind the group of children.

Everyday international volunteers monitor the regular implementation of the IDF escort for an average number of 16 children, aged between 6 and 17 years old, coming from the villages of Tuba and Maghayir al Abeed. August 25 marked the beginning of the school year 2013-2014 and 132 days of school have been recorded so far. The escort was not present in 5 mornings and 6 afternoons, forcing the children to walk a longer and still dangerous path that takes them about one hour to reach the school. During the current school year international volunteers registered that in 30% of the cases the military escort was late (27% during the previous school year 2012-2013), causing children the loss of about 8 hours of lessons (17 in 2012-2013). In addition, in 50% of the cases (52% in 2012-2013) the military escort arrived late after school, forcing the children to wait in a dangerous place (the gathering one), close to both the settlement and the outpost, for a total time of about 12 hours (19 in 2012-2013). In contravention to the escort’s protective mandate, in 96% of the cases (i.e. 127 out of 132 recorded cases in which the escort was present) the Israeli military failed to fully complete the escort and the soldiers did not accompany the children to the end of the established path (78% in 2012-2013). Furthermore thus far in 2013-2014 school year, in 82% (37% in 2012-2013) of the cases the escort didn’t walk with the children, as established in the agreement between the Israel Civil Administration’s District Coordination Office (DCO) and the mayor of At Tuwani.

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

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

For further information:
Operation Dove, 054 99 25 773

[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.]

Settlers from Israeli illegal outposts damaged Palestinian’s solar panels and cultivated lands

March 28, 2014

At Tuwani – In the evening of March 26, Israeli settlers damaged some solar panels, only electricity power sources for the Palestinian village Bir Al Idd. The same day, during the early afternoon, Israeli settlers grazed their flock on Palestinian-owned wheat fields, damaging the harvest.

At 2.18 pm International volunteers noticed a flock grazing on Palestinian-owned fields in  Kharrouba valley, close to the south-west side of the Israeli illegal outpost Havat Ma’on, in the South Hebron hills. The flock was apparently unattended, until when, after ten minutes, an Israeli settler from the outpost got close the herd and walked away with it. Later, the Palestinian owners reported the facts to the Israeli police. At 3.02 pm the police arrived at the place and questioned Palestinians and International volunteers, taking from them pictures of the Israeli settler while he was grazing the flock. After that, the police officers went inside the outpost.

Around 6 pm, Israeli settlers damaged photovoltaic system that supplies power to the Palestinian village of Bir Al Idd (South Hebron hills area), hitting it repeatedly. Near the village are located the Israeli illegal outposts of Mitzpe Yair and Nof Nesher. The morning after, Comet-Me members, who placed the system during the 2010 (Comet-Me is an Israeli-Palestinian no-profit organization specialized in providing sustainable energy sources and drinking water systems to isolated communities) arrived on the place in order to verify the damages. At 9:59 am an Israeli policeman and a soldier reached them in order to carry out surveys and listen the testimony of a Palestinian. Later, the complaint of the Palestinian was formalized.

During the late 90s , the Palestinian families of Bir Al Idd were forced to leave the area because of the continuos violence of Israeli settlers. After a Rabbis for Human Rights’ appeal submitted to the Israeli High Court of Justice, on January 2009 the Bir Al Idd residents’ return was allowed.
Now only one household of the 50 residents lives permanently in the village; the others were forced to leave because of several violences that took place since April 2013. In April, August and November 2013, Israeli settlers from Mitzpe Yair attempted to block the only access road to the village. On January 2014, two Israeli settlers prevented Palestinian residents from reaching the village, threatening them.

On March 22 Israeli police arrested Zaaid Salame Mehamre, a shepherd from the Palestinian village of Maghayr Al-Abeed, while he was grazing his sheep on Jabel Doff (the location where the Havat Ma’on outpost used to stand before the year 2000, when it was moved to Hill 833). The arrest was carried out under the accusation of “trespassing”, although no official documents on the ownership of the land were presented.

In the morning, Mehamre was grazing his sheep in the Palestinian valleys and hills surrounding the Israeli illegal outpost of Havat Ma’on. At 1:30 p.m., Mehamre moved to the top of the hill to follow his flock, and was followed by a police car, which later drove past him. 15 minutes later an Israeli policeman declared Mehamre under arrest and escorted him to an area where there was another police car, a District Coordination Office car and three army jeeps, together with four Israeli settlers.

Ta’ayush activists, who were already present in the area accompanying other shepherds, immediately arrived and tried to understand the situation. The activists asked the Israeli officers for clarification on the ownership of the land, which they had declared Israeli, however no maps or official documents were presented.

At 2:20 p.m. Israeli soldiers violently chased away Mehamre’s flock, which remained unattended. The soldiers pushed the flock toward the valley south of the hill.

At 2:30 p.m., Mehamre was taken by police to the Kyriat Arba police station. He was released in the later afternoon after a bail of 500 shekels was paid by Ta’ayush and the South Hebron Hills Popular Committee.

Pastore palestinese arrestato dalla polizia israeliana nelle colline a sud di Hebron

Il 22 marzo la polizia israeliana ha arrestato Zaaid Salame Mehamre, un pastore proveniente dal villaggio di Maghayr Al-Abeed, mentre stava pascolando il suo gregge su Jabel Doff (la collina su cui sorgeva l’avamposto di Havat Ma’on prima del 2000, quando è stato spostato sulla Hill 833). L’accusa era quella di “sconfinamento”, anche se non è stato esibito nessun documento ufficiale riguardo l’appartenenza di quel terreno.

La mattina Mehamre stava pascolando il suo gregge nelle valli e sulle colline palestinesi che circondano l’avamposto illegale israeliano di Havat Ma’on. Alle 13:30, Mehamre si è spostato sulla cima della collina per seguire il suo gregge ed è stato inseguito da una macchina della polizia, che lo ha poi preceduto. 15 minuti dopo un poliziotto israeliano ha dichiarato Mehamre in stato di arresto e lo ha portato poco più in là sulla collina, dove c’erano già un’altra macchina della polizia, una macchina dell’Ufficio di Coordinamento Distrettuale e tre camionette dell’esercito, insieme a quattro coloni israeliani.

Attivisti Ta’ayush (un movimento nonviolento di base arabo e israeliano), che erano già presenti nell’area per accompaganare altri pastori, sono immediatamente giunti sul posto e hanno provato a comprendere meglio la situazione. Gli attivisti hanno chiesto agli ufficiali israeliani chiarificazioni riguardo all’appartenenza della terra, che questi avevano dichiarato israeliana, ma non gli è stata mostrata alcuna mappa o documento ufficiale.

Alle 14:30 soldati israeliani hanno cacciato il gregge di Mehamra, che era rimasto incustodito. I soldati hanno spinto le pecore verso la valle a sud della collina.

Alle 14:30, Mehamre è stato portato alla stazione di polizia di Kyriat Arba. E’ stato poi rilasciato nel tardo pomeriggio dietro pagamento di una cauzione di 500 shekel, pagata dai Ta’ayush e dal Comitato Popolare delle Colline a sud di Hebron.

(Segue versione in italiano)

March 21, 2014

At Tuwani – On March 20, four settlers from Havat Ma’on illegal outpost attacked, in two different places at the same time, two internationals and seven Palestinian shepherds while grazing flocks on their own land. The settlers were armed with a gun and slingshots.

At 9.58 am a settler with a gun chased two Palestinian shepherds away, while grazing between the Palestinian village of Tuba and Havat Ma’on Israeli illegal outpost. He first shouted at the shepherds and then ran after them for more than two kilometers. The harassment  lasted for about one hour, when the shepherds finally arrived to Tuba.

In the meanwhile, at 10.03 am three settler teens fired a petard from the outpost in order to scare the Palestinians who were in Meshaha valley. About 15 minutes later the Israeli Police arrived to the place and spoke to the settlers and the Palestinian shepherds. The police allowed the latter to graze in Meshaha valley, south side of the outpost.

At 10.40 am a masked settler and two children went to the same valley and attacked five Palestinian shepherds, three men and two women. By using slingshots, the attackers threw stones against the shepherds and the internationals, for about five minutes. During the assault the settlers entered Palestinian private land. At a later stage the Israeli police arrived to the place and the attackers ran away. The policeman saw them going back to the outpost but did not try to stop them. One of the Palestinians attacked told the police the event adding that a settler with a gun was still chasing away a Palestinian shepherd from Tuba, on the other side of the outpost. The Israeli police moved to the village of Tuba together with the Palestinian and an international volunteer, while the rest of the Palestinian shepherds successfully grazed their flocks in Meshaha valley until around 12.20 am.

At 11.30 am the police car arrived to Tuba and after five minutes the policeman reached the settler who chased the Palestinian shepherds away. The settler was still close to the Palestinian village. The policeman inquired one of the Palestinians, Ahmed Jundiya, and the settler. After that both of them got in the police car and were driven to Kiryat Arba police station. The two filed a complaint against each other: the settler maintained that the shepherds were on Israeli land and Jundiya proved, thanks to his camera provided by B’tselem organization for human rights, that he was chased away while grazing his flock on Palestinian land.

The Israeli police decided to investigate more in order to define within three months whom that land belongs to. Jundiya could come back home at about 4.30 pm.

Palestinians from the South Hebron Hills face the Israeli occupation with the popular nonviolent resistance.

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

Pictures of the incident: http://www.operazionecolomba.it/galleries/palestina-israele/2014/2014-03-20-settlers-from-havat-ma-on-attacked-palestinian-shepherds-in-two-different-places-at-the-same-time-in-the-south-hebron-hills/

For further information:
Operation Dove, 054 99 25 773

[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].

March 17, 2014

At-Tuwani – On Sunday March 16, during the Jewish holiday of Purim, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians and Internationals on Palestinian fields near Mitzpe Yair illegal outpost.

In the morning, four Palestinian shepherds from the village of Qawawis were grazing their flocks south of the Israeli outpost of Mitzpe Yair, when a settler arrived armed with an iron pipe to threaten them shouting. At 9:18 am two Internationals arrived together with two further Palestinian shepherds. The armed Israeli settler then left when he saw that they were filming the scene.

At 9:28 am eight settlers arrived from the illegal outpost – one was still armed with the iron pipe – and four of them violently chased away the flocks, pushing them toward the valley underlying the outpost. Palestinian shepherds followed the settlers in order not to lose their flocks accompanied by Internationals. The Palestinians immediately called the Israeli police.

At 9:48 am the settlers came back to the outpost. In the meantime, an additional Internationals and two Palestinian members of the South Hebron Hills Popular Committee arrived at the scene. At 10:00 am one of the settlers tried to chase away one of the newly-arrived Palestinians, a member of the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem. As this happened, an Israeli policeman and three Israeli soldiers arrived by foot. At 10:20 am, as the policeman began interrogating the attendants, a further three settlers arrived. Those interrogated were the Palestinian shepherd Nail Abuaram (who filmed everything with a B’Tselem camera) and one International.

At 10:45 am, the policeman lead Abuaram and one of the Internationals to Kiryat Arba police station to give testimony of the harassments. They arrived at the station at noon.

The International was asked for the camera footage of the incident, interrogated and finally released at around 2:50 pm. Abuaram was interrogated alone for a couple of hours and was threaten of arrest until he accepted to sign a paper stating that he will not get closer than 450 meters to the area where the harassment took place for a period of 15 days. He was later released around 6:00 pm after signing the paper. The Israeli police forced the settler who attacked the Palestinians with an iron pipe to stay 200 meters far from the spot where the harassment took place for a period of 15 days.

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

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

Video of the incident: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xkhd_oJ2jkk&list=UUpKXxYTHG80BLPckf_YMHtw

[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 March 11 the Israeli police detained two Beduins from the village of Umm Al Kheer, two International volunteers and two Israeli activists. Since the early morning two Israeli engineers were taking mesures with technical equipment around the southern part of Karmel Israeli settlemet, around the latest expansion.  There is an ongoing trial about the ownership of the land between the settlement and the Beduin village, because of this is forbidden to anyone to do any kind of work on this land.

When the Beduins approached the area a military vehicle with five Israeli soldiers arrived to escort the engineers. Around 1:30 pm three Israeli settlers arrived, between them the security chief of Karmel, and at 2 pm the Israeli police reached the place. The Israeli soldiers and police showed to Beduins and Internationals maps where the municipal area of the settlemet expands also on the Palestinian owned land. When Beduins and Internationals refused to move back toward the Beduin village a Police officer escorted them on the Israeli street surrounding the settlemet. In the mean time two Israeli activists had arrived.

The Israeli Police realeased the six, giving them back IDs and Passports at 3:50 pm. The charge for the detention was “trespassing”.

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L’11 marzo la polizia israeliana ha detenuto due beduini del villaggio di Umm Al Kheer, due volontari internazionali e due attivisti israeliani. Fin dal mattino due ingenieri israeliani stavano prendendo delle misure intorno alla parte sud della colonia israeliana di Karmel, attorno alle ultime espansioni. Vi è un processo in corso riguardo l’appartenenza della terra tra la colonia e il villaggio beduino, per questo motivo è proibito a chiunque effettuare lavori e operazioni sulla suddetta terra.

Quando i beduini si sono avvicinati all’area è arrivata una jeep militare con cinque soldati per scortare i due ingegnieri. Intorno alle 13:30 sono arrivati tre coloni israeliani, tra cui il capo della sicurezza della colonia, e alle 14 è sopraggiunta la polizia israeliana. I soldati e la polizia hanno mostrato ai beduini e ai volontari internazionali alcune mappe, secondo le quali l’area municipale della colonia comprende anche terre di proprietà palestinese. Quando beduini e internazionali si sono rifiutati di tornare verso il villaggio, i polizziotti israeliani li hanno scortati sulla strada israeliana che circonda la colonia. Nel frattempo sono arrivati due attivisti israeliani.

La polizia rilascia le sei persone alle 15:50, ridandogli documenti e passaporti. L’accusa per la detenzione era “sconfinamento”.

On Friday March 7 at 12:30 pm two Palestinian shepherds from Tuba, a minor and an adult, were grazing their flocks on Meshaha Hill, when a settler noticed them and made a phone call. At 12:36 pm the Israeli army arrived and first made the shepherds move to the bottom af the valley and then detained them untill the police arrived. The soldiers affirmed that the land where the sheep were grazing is Israeli propriety. At 1:31 pm the Israeli police arrived. One of the Palestinian shepherds, the minor, was immediately released while the second one was asked for his personal datas before being released after few minutes. Operation Dove volunteers waited for the DCO to show them official maps about the ownership of the land, but they didn’t arrive.

The lack of rain forced the Palestinina shepherds to increase the hours of grazing on the hills and the valleis in the South Hebron Hills. Often the Israeli settlers from Havat Ma’on illegal outpost call the army to claim their propriety of the land. The past week has seen an encreased presence of the Israeli police in the valleis surrounding the Palestinian village of At Tuwani.

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Venerdì 7 Marzo alle ore 12:30 due pastori palestinesi di Tuba, un minore ed un adulto, stavano facendo pascolare i loro greggi sulla collina di Meshaha, quando sono stati notati da un colono che ha effettuato una telefonata. Alle 12:36 è arrivato l’esercito israeliano che ha prima fatto spostare i pastori in valle poi li ha detenuti fino all’arrivo della polizia. I soldati sostenevano che le terre su cui si trovavano i pastori fossero di proprietà israeliana. Alle 13.31 è arrivata la polizia israeliana. Uno dei due pastori, il minore, è stato rilasciato mentre al secondo sono stati chiesti i dati personali ed è poco dopo stato rilasciato. I volontari di Operazione Colomba hanno aspettato la DCO per vedere documenti ufficiali sull’appartenenza della terra, ma non sono mai arrivati.

La totale mancanza di pioggia ha portato i pastori palestinesi ad aumentare le uscite quotidiane con le pecore sulle colline e sulle valli a Sud di Hebron. Spesso accade che i coloni dell’avamposto illegale di Havat Ma’on rivendichino le terre chiamando le forze armate. La settimana appena passata ha visto un notevole incremento della presenza della polizia sulle colline e nelle valli vicino al villaggio palestinese di At-Tuwani.