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15 - 30 November 2003

Settlers? attacks

Hebron Region

About seven settlers from Ramat Yishai, a settlement within the old city of Hebron, attacked Palestinian houses both near to the settlement and on both sides of the road leading to it. The settlers smashed windows of some of the houses. Mohammad Abu Ashe reports that during the nights of November 28th and 29th, ?the settlers attacked again, smashing some windows at my house and others?. All this happened while soldiers, who are stationed in the area, watched and did nothing to stop them.

On November 30, settlers from many outposts in the city, some of whom were armed, stopped the employees of the Islamic Court, located by Alharam al-Ibrahimi (Cave of the Patriarchs) and prevented them from reaching their place of work, in the Court, forcing them to return. On the same day, at the same place, the settlers threw stones at some nearby houses, including the houses of Abed Alghani Qafisha and Khalaf Abu Hadid.

In Wadi Al-Nasara, south of Kiryat Arba?, the settlers continue to attack any Palestinian that uses the main street, claiming that this is a street for the exclusive use of Jewish settlers. During the mornings of last week, a number of young settlers attacked tens of Palestinian students on their way to school; they threw stones and chased the students in the street. According to AIC resources, this is a daily occurrence in this area.

Land Confiscation and Separation Wall:

Nablus Region and the North of the West Bank

During the last week of November, bulldozers leveled and damaged tens of Dunams of the land belonging to the village Hares, south west of Nablus. The bulldozers are creating a new settlements? bypass road, which will connect Hares Junction to Borgeen Junction. This new road is parallel to the Shomron bypass road.

Fathi Bozeyya, Mayor of the village, reports that the work resulted in the uprooting of 250 trees. The road is only 3km long and 50m wide. Hundreds of trees will be uprooted by the end of the construction. According to Palestinian Authority sources, the road will be for settlers? use only, and it will connect the settlements of Ariel, Barkan, Revava and Kiryat Natafim.

During last September the army uprooted 250 trees belonging to the people of Hares, the trees were located near the main entrance of the settlement Ariel.

On November 22, settlers from the outpost of Gila?ad, bulldozed orchards of olive trees, belonging to the village Tal, south west of Nablus. Abed alAzeez Hindi reports that about 30 dunams of his land were leveled and damaged. With some of his friends he witnessed the bulldozers destroying the orchards, but when they tried to enter the land, ten armed settlers forced them to leave by threatening them with guns. Adnan saifi, Mayor of the village, reports that the Gila?ad outpost was established three years ago, and 600 dunams of Palestinian land have been confiscated for it, most of which was olive groves, thus causing tens of farmers from the village to lose their key source of income.

Settlers from Shavi Shamron, a settlement which confiscated around 150 Dunams of Palestinian land two months ago in order to build a new bypass road, began preventing farmers from the village of Borga from reaching their land trapped inside the road. Nizar Saif, the Mayor of the village, reports that in the last fortnight, armed settlers have started to arrange themselves into groups and shoot anyone trying to reach their land in that area.

Hebron Region:

On November 17, bulldozers started leveling 10 dunams near the Negohot settlement, to the west of Hebron. The land belongs to Yousef Abu Hashesh and Mohammed Shaker Sowaitee. Approximately 300 olive trees were uprooted. Land Defense Committee resources indicate that the work on the land is continuing despite the Israeli Supreme Court decision to stop it. This land confiscation is aimed at both expanding the settlement bypass road and building a new military point near the settlement.

Jerusalem Region

On November 30, Israeli contractors started working on building a new settlement in Jabal Mukabber, a Palestinian neighborhood in southeast Jerusalem. Tens of trees belonging to Ahmad Zahaika were uprooted. The work is able to continue due to a police restriction imposed on the area, which prevents anyone from accessing let alone protesting on the land. Two days before the work began; the Israeli authorities announced that this is the first stage of the work in which 400 housing units will be built, alongside several hotels and restaurants.

Ramallah Region:

0n November 16, the Israeli military issued confiscation orders of 862 dunams of the lands of the village of Rantees, north west of Ram Allah. The confiscated lands belong to tens of residents from the village and area located to the east of the ?Green Line.? The confiscated land will be used for the construction of the separation wall to the west of to Ram Allah district.

The farmer Aiman Faris Al Amen said that 2,500 people live in the village, and that many families are depending on the income from the trees on the land that the Israeli are confiscating for the wall. Hundreds of dunams will be separated from the village by the wall, and people will face the same difficulties in reaching their lands as other places in north of the West Bank. According to the orders the wall will be very close to the houses of the village, only 500 metres away from the houses in the western side of the village.