Alternative Information Center - Settler Violence Report 67

? On 1 June at noon, some 10 settlers from many outposts in the old city of Hebron entered the El-Ishakeyya place inside Al-Haram Al- Ibrahimi (Cave of the Patriarchs). This place is restricted for Muslim use according to the Israeli arrangements of dividing Al-Haram Al- Ibrahimi following the massacre by Baruch Goldstein that took place in February 1994. At that time the Israeli authorities divided the site between Muslims and Jews and no side was granted the right to be in the parts designated for the other side. The Waqf Chairman in Palestine, Sheikh Rajab Tamimi, says that ?this is a part of settlers? aggression against the holy places in Hebron which recently increased. For example, the garden near Al Haram was taken over by the settlers who prevent the residents from using it. In addition, 2 other mosques in Hebron?s old city were taken by the settlers? (see previous AIC reports).

? On 1 June at 10 am, 5 armed settlers from the Admot Yishai outpost (Tel Romeyda) in the old city of Hebron attacked the Tayseer Abu Eisha family near the outpost. At the same time Raja El-Khateeb, 25, was taken to the ?Alya hospital after he was attacked by settlers from the same outpost. Mr. El-Khateeb was injured in his head. In both incidents the settlers bitten and stoned the residents.

? On 2 June, during the night, settlers from Qiryat Arba? renewed their attacks on many houses in Wadi El-Nasara, south of the settlement. The settlers? stoned the houses and called the residents to leave the place. Monther Da?na reports that around 10 settlers, some of them armed, stoned his and other houses in the course of two consecutive nights. The soldiers stationed in the nearby military center did nothing to stop the settlers. Da?na adds: ?this kind of attacks is happing daily; it seems that this is a part of the settlers? policy to force us to leave our homes.? The Wadi El-Nasara residents were prevented from using the main road during the last 7 months. The road was transformed for the exclusive use of settlers. Settlers also took over 5 dunams belonging to the Jaber family for expanding the settlement to the south.

? On 5 June at 1pm, a group of settlers from Qiryat Arba? stoned some Palestinians who were walking in the main street west of the settlement. Ahlam Mohammed Jaber, 14, was injured in the head and was taken to the ?Alya hospital for treatment. On the same day the house of the Ahlam family was stoned by settlers and 2 windows were shattered. This is not the first time that the settlers attack the residents in the main street west of the settlement. At least three similar incidents took place in the street. Members of the Jabber family went the police station in Hebron many times to file a complaint but nothing changes.

? On 6 June, settlers from many outposts in the old city took over the main garden near Al-Haram Al- Ibrahimi (Cave of the Patriarchs); they installed electricity in the garden and occupied a small room which was previously used by the Hebron Municipality workers. Hijazee Abu Sunaina, the person in charge in Al-Haram, reports that this action happened following 2 weeks in which the settlers attacked municipality workers and forced them to stop working in the garden. The incident took place after the army issued a new order to confiscate over 700 square meters near the place (see previous AIC reports).

? On the afternoon of 11 June, 3 members of the Hamed Abu Eisha family were stoned by settlers from Admot Yishai (Tel Romeyda) while waking in the street. They suffered injuries in many parts of their bodies.

Nablus and the North of West Bank

? On 29 May some 30 settlers from Kfar Tapuah, the majority of them armed, reached the main entrance of the Yasuf village. They entered the wheat fields and tried to burn crops. The Palestinian residents gathered and walked to their fields. When soldiers arrived at the scene half an hour later, the settlers retreated. On 4 June some 20 settlers from the same settlement came back to the village and stoned houses near the entrance of the village. They also put on fire some fields planted with wheat. Farmer Mustafa Azzam reports that this time the settlers came with soldiers. When the residents attempted to stop the aggressors, the soldiers began shooting tear gas and later imposed a one day curfew on the village.

? In the afternoon of 29 May some 25 settlers from Yizhar burned 30 dunams planted with wheat that belong to many families from Einabus. Nafiz Rushdan, mayor of the village, reports that the settlers burned the fields while soldiers watched and did nothing to stop them. The soldiers blocked personnel from the Palestinian fire department when they attempted to reach the site. They were later stoned by settlers.

? On 5 June, 6 armed settlers from the Havat Gilad outpost (Gilad Farm) opened fire on shepherds from the village Immatin, east of Tulkarm, while they shepherded their livestock in the fields 2 km away from the outpost. Mohammed Sowwan and Ahmed Abed Raheem report that the settlers opened fire without any reason. 3 goats were killed and a small hut in the field that belongs to Sudqi Sowwan was damaged. Israeli sources state that the police arrested one settler and is looking for others due to their attacks on Palestinians.

? On 3 June 3 a group of settlers burned 60 olive trees in lands that belong to families from the village Ramin in the Tulkarm district. Farmer Hafiz Sadog reports that he alone lost 30 trees. Members of the Palestinian fire department who arrived to the scene from Tulkarem were unable to reach the place due to the fact that no road leads to the fields.

? On 6 June settlers from Qedumim opened fire on farmers from Kafr Qaddum, east of Qalqiliya, to prevent them from reaching their land near the settlement. The mayor of the village reports that this is not the first time that settlers from Qedumim prevent farmers from working in their fields. He adds that the settlers have been attacking farmers and forcing them to leave during the last two months. ?We complained many times to the army and police, but no follow up action was taken in order to stop the aggression of the settlers.?

? On 1 June, settlers from the Hanania outpost west of Al Khadr uprooted 15 grape vines in the site called ?Ein Gasses. The farmers interpret this action as an escalation of the settlers? take over of a part of the land near the outpost. This is the second time that settlers uprooted trees in the same place during the last 20 days.

? On 1 June, bulldozers started working in the land east of Bethlehem for opening a part of the bypass road that runs east of the district to link the settlements of Har Homa ant Efrata to southern Bethlehem. This part will run through land belonging to residents of the Janata, Al Fureidis, Al Asakira, Harmala, Rakhme, Abu Nujeim and Wadi Rahhal villages. Land Defense Committees in the city state that the completion of the road will lead to a situation whereby these and other villages will be separated from the metropolitan Bethlehem. In the process thousands of trees are going to be uprooted. The ultimate result will be a strangulation of Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour from the east.

? On 4 June, the West bank army officer issued a new order to confiscate 12 Dunams of the land that belongs to families from Beit Jala (Khamis, Gaiseyya, Beshara, Hadwa and Abu Amsha). The purpose of the confiscation is the erection of the Apartheid Wall west of the city. This is the second order that was issued in recent months; the first was issued last April and led to the confiscation of 176 dunams for the same purpose. The new order implies that some houses will be trapped inside the wall (such as the house of Metri Awad).

? On 11 June, the army issued two new house demolition orders in Idhna, west of Hebron. The houses are located in the northen entrance of the village. 13 similar orders were issued last May. Municipality resources state that the demolition orders in the place are isolating the area between the village and the settlement road in the north. The 2 houses belong to the Zagharneh and Tumaiza families. On the same day 4 additional demolition orders were handed to residents in the villages of Al Karmil, Shi?b Batin and Zif, south of Yatta. The houses belong to Shamisti, Jebreel and Ateyya families. Local sources say that there is relation between the demolition orders and the settlement?s project in the area, where settler aggression is taking place daily and a policy of land confiscation continues unabated.

? On 11 June the army burned 700 olive trees in Khalit Abu Dukeyya west of the town of Idna, near the Green Line during a military training. This is the second time that such incident takes place recently in the same area. Palestinians sources in Hebron confirm that there is relationship between the erection of the Apartheid Wall in the area and what currently takes place west of Idna. The trees that were burned belong to Awad Nofal, Hashem Nofal, Jamal Nofal, Khaleel Tomaizee and others.

? On 14 June, 2 bulldozers leveled some 20 dunams south of the Matahen checkpoint in Khan Yunis. The damaged land was planted with fruits and vegetables and belongs to the Barbarawee family. The bulldozers destroyed the fence of their house as well.