Alternative Information Center - Settler Violence Report 49

During the last week, young settlers from ?Tel Romeyda?, an outpost inside Hebron city, have been throwing rocks at school children on their way home and have injured the 10 year old Jameel Hani Abu Haykal and another child from the Jadawi family. Settlers have also stoned the houses of Hanaa Abu Haykal which is located in the same area. Abu Haykal says that after the settlers shattered the windows of her house, she went to complain to the soldiers in the nearby military position; they laughed at her and did nothing to address the assault. Ms. Abu Haykal also reports that her house as well as other houses in the neighborhood have been attacked repeatedly and systematically during the last few months.

During the last weeks fire was set in several cars in Adna, a village near the ?green line? west of Hebron. A tractor that belong to Thabet Tomiza was burned. As a result of these violent incidents, the villagers formed a guarding group that patrols the village during night time. Around midnight, the guards identified a car reaching from the settlement road located 300 meters north of the village. Four armed settlers stepped out of the car. However, when the residents gathered, a bigger police vehicle arrived and allowed the settlers to leave.

Tomiza reports that he asked the boarder policemen to call the police so that they could file a complaint. Few days later he and other residents were called to identify photos of the assaulters, but he could not do so as it was dark and he was unable to see the faces of the settlers. The police told them that the assaulters were captured and that the individuals whose property was damaged will be informed about the outcome of the investigation. There are two settlements near the village, Telem and Adora.

On September 18, settlers from Ariel cut down 250 olive trees owned by Palestinian residents of Kefl ElHares, southwest of Nablus.

Fathi Bozieh, mayor of Kefl ElHares, reports that the army prevented the Palestinians from reaching the site, while allowing the settlers to cut down the trees with electrical saw. Furthermore, the army prevented the residents from collecting the chopped trees which they wanted to use as wood.

This act becomes all the more brutal given this time of the year, few weeks before the olive harvest, that is the main source of income for tens of families in the village (as well as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians throughout the occupied territories) who already lost all other means of income as a direct result of the closures and high rates of unemployment that emerged since the beginning of the current uprising.

Seven armed settlers from Elon Moreh attacked two Palestinian shepherds from the village Salem, east of Nablus, who were working 5 km away from the settlement. The settlers hit the two men and two settlers drew their guns in the faces od the shepherds. The settlers stole the live stock and walked towards the settlement but then stopped and left after they noticed the Palestinian residents who came to help.

Land confiscation and the Separation Wall

Settlers from the Homesh began opening a new road around the settlement, on lands owned by Palestinian residents of Burqa, north of Nablus.

Nizar Seif, mayor of the village, reports that 4 bulldozers that belong to the settlers, protected by the army began razing the area on September 18 under the protection of the Israeli army. The work plans, published 4 months ago, reveal that 150 Dunams of cultivated lands are going to be confiscated. To date, hundreds of trees were cut down, and many others were damage by the work.

Last week, Israeli bulldozers began opening a new settlement road beside the ?separation wall?, that aims to connect the settlement of Har Homa with settlements east of Beit Sahour. The route of the new road starts from ?Qaber Hilwe?, east of Beit Sahour, towards the west and running parallel to the ?separation wall?.

Jamal Dara?wi, a member of the Land Defense Committee in Bethlehem, reports that the road will block few villages that will be completely surrounded by the wall, particularly the village Al-NU?man and the western village of Al-Ta?amreh. The wall will additionally cut off the main road connecting south and north of the West Bank. The current route of the road assures the destruction of some graves as well. Dara?wi adds that the residents were surprised to find in the area confiscation orders hanged on walls and spread on the ground only one day before the work started and "notifying" that the land is confiscated for "public benefit."

This road will confiscate 47 Dunams of land belonging to several families in Beit Sahour, particularly the Hawari family.

On September 16, settlers from Gush Etzion used bulldozers to raze about 50 Dunams of cultivated almond and olive lands that belong to the Palestinian village of Jaba?ah, west of Bethlehem. The work involved a mass cut down of about 1000 trees, 800 of which belong to Mr. Hilal Masha?leh.

Masha?leh reports that the residents of the village were surprised to see the bulldozers working in their lands without prior notice. He adds that the work was carried out under the protection of the Israeli army which prevented under gun threats the residents from reaching their lands. The settlers purposefully set trees in fire so that the Palestinian residents will be unable to use them. The residents don?t know what's the direct reason behind the assaults as well as what are the plans for the area.

The settlement is located about 3 km east of the village, but the work was carried out about 200 meters from the houses village?s houses.

The end-result of this brutal action is that the village of Jaba'ah will be surrounded from the east, in addition to the fact that 90% of its lands were already confiscated since 1967 for the exclusive use of the illegal settlements Kfar-Etzion and Bat A?yen.