Alternative Information Center - Settler Violence Report 61

- On March 1, three armed settlers from the settlements south of Yatta; itself south of Hebron, forced many shepherds to leave lands belonging to many villages, including Twani and Imneizel. The settlers claimed that this area belongs to the settlements. During the last months the army declared the area a closed military zone.

Khaled Jabareen, one of the shepherds remarks: "the settlers came and forced us to leave our cultivated land. Furthermore, they stole two of my goats. I went to the police center in Qiryat Arba? to file a formal complaint. The officer informed me that the settlers filed a complaint against me, arguing that I entered a closed area. Needless to say that my family owns lands in this area for generations."

- On 5 March, settlers from many outposts south of Yatta damaged some 100 Dunams with wheat plantations. Mohammed Abu Tuhfa, one of the landowners, reports that "ten armed settlers began working on the land with a tractor. They came from an outpost known to the residents of the area as ?Mitzpe Ya?eir? and other outposts in the area. Seven Dunams of this land belong to m family while the rest to the Abed Allah Mosa Dees, Mohammed Odeh Abu Fanar families. The settler leading the aggression is apparently called ?Tamir? from Mitzpe Ya?eir. He is known to us as a person who is engaged in many attacks against the residents of the villages around. During the entire time that the settlers was harming our lands the soldiers prevented us from reaching our land and have done nothing to stop the settlers' aggression.

- On 6 March, settlers from the outpost of Bat Ayin, west of Kfar Etzion, uprooted 25 olive tree that belong to Jamal Isma?el Ghunaimat from the village of Al-Jab'a. Jamal explains that ?the land that the settlers devastated is located 1 km south of the outpost. I planted this land last year. This is the second time that the settlers from this outpost uproot trees; the first time was three weeks ago.? The illegal Bat Ayin outpost was established in 1997 and currently consists of 20 houses.

- On 7 March, tens of settlers began in Qiryat Arba? their yearly March to the Al-Haram (Cave of the Patriarchs) celebrating the Jewish holiday of Purim. Like every year, during their march they stoned many Palestinian houses in Wadi El-Nasara and the Sahla quarter near Al- Haram. The march proceeded via the Al-Shuhada street to Admot Yishai (Tel Romida). Upon reaching there the settlers attacked the houses of the Abu Haykal family and chased a student who walked to class.

Hanaa? Abu Haykal reports: ?we were forced to stay in our houses of because tents armed settlers stoned our houses. I witnessed them chasing after many students in the street, threatening them to leave. The soldiers who accompanied the march to 'secure' the settlers did nothing to stop the attacks."

- On 1 March, ten armed settlers from the Ma?ale Amos settlement, 17 km south of Bethlehem, used a bulldozer to level and damage 20 Dunams of land belonging to residents of the Rashaida village south of the Teko?a settlement. Sulaiman Abu Mofarreh, mayor of the town, explains: "during the last three months the settlers in the area intensified their aggression against the residents by preventing Palestinians from entering many territories around the settlements. They also did not refrain from physically attacking the residents (consult the AIC of 10-15 February). We think that the settlers are going to expand the borders of the settlements in order to establish a new outpost. This would mean that hundreds of additional families will lose their income. The land is also being used for feeding our goats."

- 0n 15 March some 15 settlers from Beitar Illit, west of Bethlehem, uprooted 70 olive trees in lands that belong to the Garoot family of the Husan village. Mustafa Hamamreh, mayor of the village, reports that ?the settlers used bulldozer and cutting machines when the Palestinian farmers tried to approach the land and protest these brutal actions. Israeli soldiers who were already stationed in the area since the morning stop the Palestinian farmers and did not allow anyone to enter his land. The purpose of the violence is to expand the settlement in the direction of our village."

Nablus and the north of the West Bank

- On evening of 3 March, tens of settlers came to the Joseph Tomb, east of Nablus, and with them 3 tanks and 10 army jeeps. The army first imposed curfew on the 1000 residents leaving next to the Tomb. During the entire night the settlers shouted slogans such as "death to the Arabs? and "Arabs go away.? Morad Kassab who lives near the Tomb reports that "all night we were unable to sleep because of the shouting in loudspeakers. Because the army imposed a curfew we were unable to get out of our houses."

- On the afternoon of 7 March, nine armed settlers came to Beit Logya military checkpoint; they stopped their car near the road and celebrated Purim. They then proceeded to stone Palestinians cars that were waiting for a permit to pass the checkpoint. Eyewitness Anan Naser reports that "the soldiers stopped all Palestinians cars for 3 hours and allowed no one to pass until the settlers finished their celebration. The soldiers also witnessed the stoning and did nothing to prevent them."

- On March 14, settlers from the settlements near Imniezil village south of Hebron took over 60 Dunams of land in order to expand the settlement. Tens of settlers created a siege over the land located 100 meter west of the settlement. The land belongs to Malash family from Imniezil. When the landowners came to find out what is going on, the armed settlers pointed guns at them and expelled them. The family used the land for both wheat planting and raising livestock.

Palestinian advocate Musa Mackamra, of the Land Defense Committees explains: "during these weeks we handle many cases of settlers? aggressions south of Yatta. In many cases, we try to contest to the Israeli Supreme Court. Nonetheless, the settlers continue their land confiscation and attacks of the Palestinian residents. This probably means that there is a plan to deport farmers south of Yatta, all the more so given that a military order already announced thousands of Dunams as a military closed area."

- The Israeli Civil Administration in Qalqiliya district gave the local council of Kufor Laqif confiscation orders of 120 Dunams. The land is located east of the village. The order states that the purpose of the confiscation is to erect a new settlement road to link the settlements Qedumim, Karnei Shamron to Israel across the Green Line. The land belongs to Qaddora family and is planted with olive trees. The family will therefore lose its main source of income. In addition, the road will create geographical separation between the village and other villages in the area.

- On 7 March, bulldozers leveled some 20 Dunams of land that belongs to many families from the Masha village, south-east of Qalqiliya, in order to erect new quarter to the Elkana settlement. Anwar Amer, mayor of Mas-ha, reports that "the army informed me that landowners who which to reject the action can go to the Civil Administration in the Qedumim settlement. The land is located in site called Haraeq and is outside the separation wall.

Younis Abed Allah, one of the landowners, says: "I go daily to see what is going on in my land and I see tens of settlers staying there while the bulldozers are working. The soldiers prevent us from entering our land to protest these illegal actions."

- The Military officer in the West Bank issued an order to confiscate 3,169 Dunams in Rafat, Az Zawiya, Mas-ha and Deir Ballut, south of Qalqiliya in order to continua building the Apartheid Wall.

On 11 March soldiers passed to the villages' councils the confiscation order and also placed copies on the trees around. The order was written in Arabic and signed by Moshe Kipilnisky, the West Bank officer. The confiscation is based on a security pretext to prevent 'terrorist actions.' The soldiers also placed a map to designate the land designated for confiscation.

Adnan Ayash, Mayor of Rafat, says: "if they will implement the plan according to the order - and they probably will - this will necessarily mean that thousands of trees will be uprooted and thousand of farming families in the villages will lose their only source of livelihood."