Tag it:

Settlers Attacks

Hebron Region

- On 15th December, five armed settlers from the settlement of Ma'on, south of the town of Yatta, chased farmers from the village of At Tuwani off their land. The same thing happened to the farmers from the village of Arab ar Ramadin, south of Hebron. The settlers from Tene settlement forced the farmers to leave their land located near the settlement. The settlers attacked in two separate locations, both within full view of soldiers.

- On the morning of 16th December, a group of settlers from the outpost of Beit Hadasa, in the down town area of Hebron, attacked Palestinian students studying in ?Qurtoba Elementary School For Girls? located near the outpost. The settlers threw stones and chased the students in the street. Attacks also took place that afternoon as the students returned home. These actions, again, took place within full view of the soldiers who did nothing to stop the settlers. The teachers in the school said that these aggressive acts and attacks are a usual occurrence, aimed at preventing students and teachers from attending school and thus forcing its closure and annexation to the outpost. The students and teachers have been enduring such attacks for over ten years but they have intensified during the current Intifada.

- In the middle of the night on 17th December, settlers from Avraham Avino outpost in the down town area of Hebron burned three clothing shops belonging to Azzam Owewee, and As'ad Hasan Bader. These shops are located in the old vegetable market quarter, near the outpost. Azzam Owewee reports that he lost around 100 000 NIS in damages. They burned a further two shops on 29th December. These shops, alongside tens of other shops in this area have been closed for two years due to military orders. Palestinians in the area believe there is policy to force them to leave the down town area through army closures and settler attacks.

- On 28th December, four settlers from Ma'on attacked the students from At Tuwani while they were going to the school. The settlers also threw stones at the American NBC television crew who were on location during the attack. The driver of the crew was injured. The settlers were trying to prevent the student from using the main road to reach the school. These settlers have attacked the students numerous times in the past. Three months ago the settlers attacked members of Christian Peacemakers Team (CPT) in the same place, when this team came to help the students go to school. Two of the CPT team members were injured and hospitalized.

- On 1st January, the settlers from Asfar settlement, to the east of Sa'ir, itself north east of Hebron, seized tens of dunams belonging to many families from the town, and planted olive trees on the land. The town municipality stated that the settlers expand the area of the settlement fence each year by seizing lands, and despite many cases taken before the Israeli courts no ruling against Asfar has occurred. The Palestinian farmers used to plant wheat on this land, now these families have lost a major source of income. The Municipality co-ordinator believes that the settlers want to link Asfar with Mitsar and Shem'on settlements to the east of the town, thus resulting in more land confiscation.

- On 1st January, settlers from the Tel Rumeyda outpost, in the down town area of Hebron, renewed their attacks residents houses. Twice in the last two days, the settlers threw stones at the Palestinian homes located near the outpost. Whilst standing in front of his house, Tayseer Abu Aisha was stoned by settlers, which resulted in injuries to his right hand. The house of Abu Zuhair Abu Aisha was also stoned. On 5th January the settlers again attacked the houses near the outpost with stones. Mohammed Hamed Abu Aisha, one of the owners of the attacked houses, reports that ?daily the settlers attack our houses and all these actions happen in the full view of the soldiers who are positioned on the closed checkpoints, but they do nothing to stop them.?

North of West Bank

- On 20th December, the settlers from Zoveen settlement, north of Qalqilya, uprooted tens of olive trees belonging to families from the village of Jayyous. The residents' believe that the settlers want to expand the settlement. The farmer Shareef Omar from the village reports that ?in the last three days the settlers uprooted around 200 olive trees in order to expand the settlement fence. The farmers have already lost their main source of income after nine thousand dunams were cut off by the Separation Wall.

- In the early morning of the 27th December, settlers from Itamar settlement, south of Nablus set fire to two cars belonging to Qasem Mohammed Saleh and Abe el Baset Mohammed from the village of Asera Qebliyya. The residents gathered to face the settlers who ran away back to the settlement.

Gaza Strip

- On 25th December, around 70 settlers from Kfar Darom settlement, east of Deir al Balah city, attacked the residents? houses in the east side of the city. They forced the residents to leave their houses under fire. The settlers then occupied five houses belonging to the Abu Mughaideeb family for two hours, until soldiers forced them to leave. Two Palestinians were injured when settlers attacked them with stones and stakes. Palestinian sources reported this as being the first time the settlers have attacked the houses in this way.

Land Confiscation

- On 15th December, the Israeli Civil Administration in the Hebron region informed the farmers in Surif village, north west of Hebron, that more land will be confiscated from the village for the Separation Wall. According to the order, numbered (4-74/T), and signed by the Army officer Bank Moshe Kaplinski, the wall to the west of the village will be 2km long and 270m wide.

- On 16th December, bulldozers damaged and leveled 20 dunams of land belonging to Atalla Odeh from Samu' village, south of Hebron, in order to expand Shani settlement. Simultaneously settlers and soldiers brought more Mobile Houses to the land. This land is located 600m north of the settlement.

- On 17th December, more bulldozers leveled hundreds of dunams of land west of Jaba? village, north west of Hebron, in order to build the Separation Wall. Thousands of olive trees were uprooted in the process. Hilal Mish'al, one of the landowners, reported ?in addition to the damaged and leveled land thousands of dunams belonging to tens of farmers from the village will be isolated on the other side of the wall, resulting in a loss of the main source of income?.

- On 9th January, Army officers gave the residents of Qatanna village, north west of Jerusalem, new orders signed by the Army officer Moshe Kaplinski, confiscating a further 250 dunams for the Separation Wall. Three days prior to this Army officers gave similar orders to the residents from the nearby villages of Beit Duqqu and Beit Ijza.