Alternative Information Center - Settler Violence Report 71

- On 2 August, settlers from Ramat Yishai outpost renewed their attacks on Palestinian resident's houses in Tel Rumeyda. The house of Tayseer Abu Aisha was stoned by group of settlers, the fundamentalist settler Baruch Marzel (of the Kahnaists) led the attack. The family explained that these attacks happened in view of the soldiers eyes as well as in the presence of some journalists who wre able to photo some of the attacks. During the past month the house of Abu Aysha was attacked 17 times. On the same day groups of settlers arranged visits to the Wad El Nassara section, south of Kiryat Arba' and ending up on a land that belongs to the Jaber family which was recently confiscated in order to expand the settlement south-wise. Israeli soldiers accompanied the settlers during these ?visits?. Palestinian residents of Wad El Nassara were prevented from walking in the streets by the soldiers during 3 hours until the settlers left the place.

- On 4 August, settlers from many outposts in downtown Hebron stoned resident's houses in Tel Rumeyda. Local sources indicated that this took place during a big settler march near the Jewish tomb.

- On 5 August, a settler from Ramat Yishai chased with a knife after a 5 years old child from the Abu Aysha family. Palestinian neighbors gathered and forced him away.

- On the evening of 12 August, Raja' Abu Aysha, 12, was injured in many parts of her body after five settlers from the Ramat Yishai outpost attacked her by hand and with stones. Raja' was taken to the local clinic for treatment. At the same time, settlers from Kiryat Arba' renewed their attacks and stoned many houses in Wad El Nassara. Munder Da'na reports that in the evening settlers threw stones on his and other houses and the residents were forced to stay in-doors during the entire evening. He added that in the last days settlers ?visited? in groups Palestinian land near houses that were recently confiscated. During the visit they did not fail to stone houses on their way.

- On 14 August, Mohammed Tayseer Abu Aisha, 15, was injured in his back after settlers from Ramat Yishai attacked him with stones. Three hours earlier, in the same place settlers from the same outpost attacked with stones Hamed Abu Aisha, 70.

- On 12 August, the settlers from the Nave Daniel settlement and some other outpost west of Al-Khader cut 50 grape vines in Ayn Gasses, and destroyed 500 square meters of stone walls. The land belongs to Ahmed Mahmmoud Salah from the village of Al-Khader. Ahmed reports that ?in recent weeks settlers prevented me and fellow farmers from reaching our land which is located near the settlement. They urged their dogs to chase us. The majority of these aggressions were done by a settler called Hananya who very well known to us.?

- On 1 August, army bulldozers began to level land in the Walaja village west of Bethlehem for the Apartheid Wall in the area. The work started from the southern entrance of the village opposite of Har Gilo. Half a km of land was levled by now. Mustafa Abu Teen, mayor of the village, reports that "according to the plan the Wall in Wallaja will be erected to the east in order to reach the main road next to the Aida refugee camp. Hundreds of dunams in Walaja will be trapped inside the wall.? In the second day the bulldozers uprooted 600 olive trees from a land that belongs to the Khamis, Awad, Hadwa, Gaseyya and Sarasreh families (of Beit Jalla) for the same objective. Degol Hodali, from the local municipality, reports that ?80 dunams were damaged, the land is located in Beer Oneh north of Beit Jalla. The work is very close to many Palestinian resident houses.

- On 2 August, army bulldozers began to level land in Beit Hanoon in the northern Gaza Strip (south of Erez Industrial Zone). Palestinians sources suspect that the objective of the work is to build a Wall around the settlement. The land belongs to many families from Beit Hanon and is planted with both olive and orange trees.

- On 3 August, bulldozers uprooted 200 olive trees in the Asakreh village east of Bethlehem. The trees belong to Musa Ahmed Kamel and Taleb Mahmoud. The work was done in the framework of the construction of a new bypass road that aims to link Har Homa to the settlements in both the eastern and southern parts of Bethlehem. The work in the road started two months ago (see previous AIC Settlers' Violence reports).

- On 5 August, settlers from the Ramat Yishai outpost in downtown Hebron started to expand the road between the Ramat Yishai and Abraham Avinu outposts. The work is progressing in cooperation with the Israeli army.

- On 8 August, bulldozers continued to level land in Wadi Ayyad between Dahya and Aqbat north of Jerusalem for the Apartheid Wall. Tens of dunams were damaged. The land belongs to the Matour, Jaradat, Salaimeh, Hinnawi, Qabbani, Zahida and Abu Farha families .

- On 9 August, the army started the work of constructing a new settlement road in the downtown Hebron. The road aims to link Kiryat Arba' and the Ibraheemi Mosque in the city. Three old houses of 9 rooms each were destroyed totally. The work in the new road is based on military order issued 2 years ago.

- On 3 August, the army demolished a house in Daheriyya town south of Hebron. The house belongs to Samaher Abu Sharekh. The army claimed that the house was built illegally. However, Muhammed Rabba' from the municipality reports that ?the demolition is due to the fact that the house is located near the Tina settlement. Rabba' added that in the last 2 months, 24 houses were demolished in many areas in the town. It is clear that the demolition is a result of the illegal settlement expansion in the area".